A Friend in Need
by ThinkingViolet
Summary: Sarah returns from the Labyrinth with a new outlook on Toby, her family, and the person she wants to become. When a friend needs her help, how will she respond to a new challenge? *I don't own Labyrinth or any of the characters found therein - I just love them! Labyrinth is the property of the amazing Jim Henson Company. This story is for entertainment purposes only.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

Sarah's room is a wild epicenter of joyous celebration. Confetti flutters in the air like so many fairy wings and Sarah thought there must have been some magic at work to keep the rest of the house (and the neighborhood) from hearing the raucous whoops and laughter emanating from every creature dancing, shouting, and singing with abandon. In the corner, Hoggle and Sir Didymus were arguing over a game of Scrabble (Sarah thought that it was because Hoggle kept trying to play words in his native language, which Sir Didymus objected to strongly since it contains so many V's, Q's, and other high value letters) while three of the littlest goblins were jumping on Sarah's bed, using her pajama pants as a jump rope. Ludo, the great orange beast, was seated awkwardly on the floor in front of Sarah's vanity while tiny pixies in sparkling rainbow colors wound intricate braids in his fur.

Sarah spun around, laughing and hugging all of her new friends, hardly able to believe it was real after all. The girl was euphoric, flush with her unlikely victory and the triumph of living out her fantasy, as well as a new upwelling of love and fierce protectiveness for little Toby, sleeping peacefully in his crib down the hallway. When she thought about Toby now, she felt a little twist in her heart at her carelessness with him before tonight – not just in wishing him away, but in failing to embrace her role as his older sister and his protector, no matter what other complicated feelings she might still have about her family and her place in it. She felt a wave of gratitude wash over her for her new perspective.

Sarah twirled gleefully like a little girl in a favorite dress, collapsing down on the bed surrounded by giggling Fireys as the little goblins scampered over to her dresser. It was strange, Sarah thought, how even the most frightening denizens of the Labyrinth had no longer held any fear for her when they suddenly appeared in her bedroom after she called Hoggle. It was as though her victory had freed them from playing their frightening roles, leaving only their true selves -playful, mischievous beings - behind. Besides, Sarah was so thrilled to see confirmation that her adventure had been real and to realize that she could still contact her friends that fear was the last thing on her mind at that point. Sarah even had to admit to herself that the goblins were actually kind of cute in their own way, especially the tiny one that was currently curled up asleep in her sock drawer.

And this was definitely the best party she had ever been to. Even though Sarah had a rich inner life, full of imagination, she was a sensitive child and did not make friends easily. The turmoil in her family over the past few years had only led her to isolate herself even more, withdrawing into a fantasy as she struggled with her hurt and disappointment. Truthfully, though Sarah liked being alone sometimes, it had been a somewhat lonely life.

In the shadows, an elegant white owl watched the festivities from a dark branch of the stately old oak tree outside of Sarah's window. It was not the first time the majestic bird had perched upon the branch, nor the first time he had peered into her window. In the deepness of the night the owl's eyes were dark and showed no expression. Despite the happy chaos inside the room, the only noise to be heard outside was the quiet ruffle of the wind through the owl's snowy feathers. Noiselessly the owl launched himself skyward, circling higher and higher until he was out of sight, seeming to suddenly vanish as he spiraled up to the silvery moon. No one had noticed the owl.

Despite the warm and happy atmosphere inside her room, Sarah suddenly felt a little shiver and whirled around to peer out the window, her long hair fanning out behind her. Her green eyes searched the night sky, and her heart began to race.

There was nothing there.

Sarah turned back around slowly, slumping against the windowpane as her heartbeat returned to normal. For a moment she was confused, feeling strongly as though there was something very important she was trying to remember. Though her room was crowded nearly to bursting there was an undeniable feeling that someone was missing. Sarah felt a growing sense of panicked urgency as her eyes flitted around the room, searching, searching…but for what?

Suddenly her reverie was broken. "My Lady!" howled Sir Didymus. "Will you please tell Sir Hoggle that QUANTZ is most certainly NOT a real word?!"

"Yes it IS!" yelled Hoggle. "Not my fault you ain't knowin' any proper languages of the Underground 'cept the one you were born with!"

"Why I NEVER!" cried Didymus, aghast at Hoggle's unknightly decorum.

"Hoggle, Didymus, I –" Sarah began, when suddenly her eyes widened and she quickly ducked.

"YEAAAAAHY!" yelled a purple goblin with long ears as he sailed over Sarah's head. Belatedly, Sarah realized that they had tied all of her socks and tights into a makeshift zipline and were careening from one end of the room to the other before letting go, flying every which way through the air.

"Almost as good as being kicked!" one of the stouter green goblins proclaimed, squeezing his pet chicken joyfully.

"Hey, wait, not those! Those are my favorite socks!" Sarah protested loudly as she jumped on the bed, grabbing at the striped knee-high pair just as a goblin was about to use them to soar down the zipline, when suddenly she was distracted once again.

"SAWAH!" bellowed Ludo, as dozens of the tiny pixies flitted through the air around him, each one tugging a long orange braid.

"Oh, Ludo!" Sarah cried, rushing over to him. "Play nice or go home!" she commanded the grinning pixies, waving her arms and shooing them away. They only fluttered their wings at her and laughed their silvery little laughs, but they obligingly zoomed back through the mirror.

"Thanks, Sawah!" Ludo crooned. She smiled brightly at the kind beast, patting him on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, Sir Didymus and Hoggle were still arguing in the corner when the makeshift zipline finally snapped.

"AIYEEEEE!" yelled the unfortunate goblin, a stubby little brown creature with two protruding bottom teeth. The goblin flew like a cannonball straight at the arguing pair, crashing into the Scrabble board and sending the alphabetical tiles flying all over the room. Sir Didymus and Hoggle and jumped out of the way just in time, but the game was clearly over. The little brown goblin shook himself all over and dizzily stood to his feet. The other goblins peered at him expectantly.

"YEAAAAHY!" he cried spinning in happy circles.

"YEAAAAHY!" they yelled back, resuming their festivities once again.

Sarah shook her head and smiled as she perched on the bed next to Hoggle and Sir Didymus. "Hmm…shall we just call it a draw, then?" Hoggle queried, peering down at the wreckage of the Scrabble board. Sarah stifled a giggle as she waited for Didymus to answer. She half expected him to insist that the Scrabble match must be played to the death! For a moment, Didymus regarded the dwarf with half lidded eyes, teeth showing a little, but in the end, he drew himself up proudly and said "It appears that under the circumstances I have been fought to a standstill. I see no reason why we should not fairly proclaim this meeting a draw, Sir Hoggle. Lady Sarah, do you agree?"

"I do, noble sir," Sarah said seriously, knowing that it would not do to mock the little fox's dignity.

"In that case, well met, Sir Hoggle!" exclaimed Didymus happily. "I should now go check on my valiant steed," he added, noting Ambrosius curled up dozing by the dresser, oblivious to the chaos surrounding him.

"Easy enough to get him to agree to call it a draw since he was losing anyway," grumbled Hoggle under his breath. Sarah chuckled and gave him a quick hug, catching him off guard.

"Oh, what'd you do that for," Hoggle complained halfheartedly, but his little blush gave him away. Sarah beamed at him.

"Hoggle, I'm glad you are all here," she said simply, truly meaning it.

"Well, so are we, Sarah," Hoggle admitted. "Ain't never gotten to go to a Champion's party before."

"Really?" Sarah asked in wonder. She hadn't thought about that yet. "Why is that?" she asked, suddenly apprehensive."

"Well, there ain't ever been a Champion before, not s'long as I've been livin' in the Labyrinth anyway," Hoggle explained.

"NEVER!?" Sarah blurted out. "How can that be?" She was shocked. Her victory was quite a triumph, but it was hard for her to comprehend that she could be the only Champion of the Labyrinth.

"Well, I don't know about NEVER, Sarah. I ain't as old as some in the Labyrinth," Hoggle snorted. "Maybe there's been some others, but I ain't never seen one. And it's not like we get all that many runners anymore. Not too many folks knows about us now, and them that do don't usually believe in us enough to wish anything away to us."

"Oh," Sarah said quietly, feeling a sudden pang of guilt about Toby. Hearing that there had been so few other victors made her feel how close she had been to losing him from her life even more keenly. "I'm so glad I was able to rescue Toby. Even if I sort of like the goblins now, I can't bear to think of him as one!" she cried.

Hoggle barked with laughter, causing Sarah to jump in surprise. "Toby a goblin! Ha!" he crowed. "Where'd ya get that idea?"

Dazed, Sarah said "well, in the beginning, he…I mean….the Goblin King…he told me that if I didn't solve the Labyrinth in thirteen hours, that Toby would become one of you forever."

"Well, I ain't a goblin, am I?" Hoggle said plainly. "I'm a dwarf, as it's clear to see. And Jareth maybe the Goblin King, but he ain't no goblin neither. There's lots of us in the Labyrinth as you can see, all sorts. Doesn't mean ya get turned into a goblin just to live there, even though it's true we ain't got any humans livin' with us now." Hoggle shrugged his shoulders. "I may think Jareth's a rat, but he doesn't turn the wished-aways into goblins. He just plays his part."

"What do you mean, 'his part'?" Sarah asked in confusion, overwhelmed with this new information. "And if he – if Jareth – isn't a goblin, then what is he?" Even talking about the Goblin King had sent those strange shivers over her again, but she was dying to learn more about the magical world she had discovered.

Hoggle gave her a shrewd look. "Now don't you go misunderstandin' me, missy. It ain't really my place to be discussin' these things. All I'll say now is that Jareth is no friend of mine but he is bound to the rules of the Labyrinth just the same as the rest of us are. It's our home and we have to do as it says. It has its own magic, you know."

"Oh," said Sarah thoughtfully. Suddenly she asked "Hoggle, how long have you lived in the Labyrinth?"

The little dwarf hesitated a moment, and Sarah noticed that his shoulders slumped a little. "Well, a long time, Sarah…a very long time. As a matter of fact, I don't s'pose I can remember any other home."

"Oh," Sarah said again. She didn't really know what to say next, but she awkwardly patted Hoggle's arm. Looking around she realized that other than Sir Didymus, Ambrosius, and the little goblin sleeping in her sock drawer, the rest of the Labyrinth denizens had headed back home through the mirror as she and the dwarf had talked.

Eagerly Sarah asked, "Hoggle, Sir Didymus, will you be able to come back and see me again? After tonight, I mean?"

"Of course, my lady," replied Sir Didymus, with his courtly manner. "When you need us, you must only call, and we will come."

"Unless Jareth stops us," Hoggle grumbled.

"Oh no, he wouldn't do that, would he?" Sarah exclaimed in dismay. As soon as the words left her lips she realized she actually had no idea what the Goblin King would do.

Sir Didymus was giving Hoggle a look. "Milady, I assure thee, His Majesty will not stop us from seeing you if you wish it. You are a Champion of the Labyrinth and he will respect that."

Sarah was relieved at the little knights' instant reassurance, but worries for her new friends still nagged at her. "You two won't get into any trouble for helping me, will you? Or Ludo? I couldn't bear it if you got in trouble because of me," she said with sincerity.

Hoggle looked nervous, but Sir Didymus only laughed. He admired Sarah's new concern for others above herself. He had seen it before in other Labyrinth Champions and he was happy to see the change in her. _"Truly,"_ he thought to himself, _"she will become a most gracious and lovely Lady as she grows in both age and beauty. She has refused her dreams out of sacrifice for another, and that is a powerful gift."_

"His Majesty will not harm us for aiding a runner whose purpose was true," Sir Didymus replied. "Fear not, my lady."

A question that had been circling around the back of Sarah's head finally rushed out of her mouth all at once. "Is the Goblin King...okay?" Sarah blurted out to her friends.

Hoggle gave her a strange look. "What do you mean 'okay'?" he asked. "Why wouldn't he be?"

Sarah hesitated. She wasn't really sure how to tell her friends what had actually happened during her final confrontation with the Goblin King. She wasn't really sure she understood it herself. Before she could say anything, again Sir Didymus answered confidently, "His Majesty will be fine. He has a…flair for the dramatic."

Sarah was surprised at the relief she felt at his words. It was almost like she had been holding her breath without realizing it and could now breathe in deeply again.

"If I will be seeing you again….will I…um, will I see him again too?" she asked softly.

Sir Didymus looked at her with a serious expression on his little face. "It is hard sometimes to predict what His Majesty will do. However, Milady, should you need us…any of us…all you must do is call."

He extended his little paw and bowed to her. "Now it is late, and I think I and Sir Hoggle should take our leave of you so you may rest. Goodnight, my fair maiden, and may your dreams be sweet!"

"Goodnight, Sir Didymus! Goodnight, Hoggle! Thank you for everything you did for me!" Sarah cried. Impulsively she pulled them both (and Ambrosius) into a tight hug and kissed each of their heads. Blushing with pleasure, the dwarf and the knight waved goodbye as they stepped through the mirror and into another world.

Sarah breathed in deeply, alone in her room once again. It was so quiet. She changed into pajamas and brushed out her long dark hair, then quietly crept out of her room and across the dark hallway to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She looked at her own face in the mirror and realized she didn't look any different. She was almost surprised – she felt so different that she had almost expected to see an older, wiser Sarah reflected back.

"I have come a long way, but I guess I still have a lot to learn," she murmured to herself before switching out the light and quietly crossing the hallway back to her room, where she gratefully slipped under the covers. In the still and quiet darkness she suddenly felt overcome by weariness and couldn't keep from yawning as she burrowed into the soft pillow.

"I won't forget you," Sarah said to herself. "I won't forget any of you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

A white owl flew over the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. He soared on broad, powerful wings, swooping lower and lower before finally plummeting through one of the narrow windows that led straight into the throne room. The owl descended in front of the odd half-circle throne, and as he landed he was changed once again into Jareth, King of the Goblins.

Jareth sank down into the throne with his head in his hands. He rubbed his temples with his long, gloved fingers before ruffling them through his wild platinum hair in weariness and frustration. Glancing up with a sigh he surveyed his empty throne room in a rare moment of quiet. Moonlight poured in through the windows and shadows danced in every corner of the room. Every goblin, dwarf, and even chicken had deserted the throne room for the evening, no doubt curled up in their little homes in the Goblin City, or passed out somewhere else in the castle after yet again imbibing too much goblin ale.

The Goblin King felt terribly alone.

Suddenly there was a little scuffling noise coming from behind the heavy wooden doors that led into the throne room from the castle's hallways. One of the doors slowly creaked open, and a little whiskered nose poked through.

Jareth slumped even further down into his throne and rubbed his nose. "Come in, Didymus. I know you're there."

The courtly fox scurried inside and up to the throne, bowing gracefully to his monarch. "Your Majesty."

"What is it that you want, Didymus?" Jareth asked wearily. "I thought you would have gone straight home after the . . . festivities." Jareth couldn't keep the scowl off of his face.

Sir Didymus cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes Sire, I did indeed, because my poor steed Ambrosius was quite worn out. But I thought I would just stop back by the castle to make sure you didn't need – I mean to make certain that my services were no longer required for the evening," the little fox stated, drawing himself up proudly. Sir Didymus and his family had served the Goblin King for many long years, and at times Didymus felt like he and Jareth were _nearly_ friends. That is, if the Goblin King would ever allow himself to _have_ any friends.

"No, Sir Didymus. You have done quite enough for one day. Besides, if any of my goblin troops see you here now, they're liable to run away screaming," Jareth said drily. "And I really don't think I can tolerate any goblin screaming right now," he groaned, leaning back in his throne. The goblins could look frightening but they were really just mischievous, and all show when it came to runners – especially nice pretty lady runners that would give them cookies and let them sleep in her nice warm sock drawers later. They honestly had no idea how to fight a knight – especially not one as bravely reckless as Sir Didymus, who treated every windmill as though it were a giant.

"It is true - they were no match for us today!" Didymus exclaimed. "It was an excellent run, Your Majesty," Sir Didymus said exuberantly. "Surely we can all be glad that such a noble and lovely young Lady has learned the lessons of the Labyrinth, and has been reunited with her baby brother once more."

"Indeed," Jareth replied in monotone. "You have been here nearly as long as I have, Didymus – you know the Labyrinth would never permit a runner who truly wished for the child back to fail. Particularly not a ' _noble and lovely'_ young runner such as our most recent Champion," he said mockingly. Jareth could not quite keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Sir Didymus (though he would never admit it) may have lost his sense of smell after his long years of service in the Labyrinth, but the rest of his senses were still keen. It was impossible to miss the despair in Jareth's words, his eyes, and even posture as he lounged in the throne. Sir Didymus wanted to comfort his king, but there was a gap between them even harder to pass than the Bog of Eternal Stench.

Most creatures in the Labyrinth avoided the Bog at all costs, and pitied Sir Didymus to be its unlucky guard, but to him it was a dream come true. Sir Didymus loved the Castle Beyond the Goblin City and the sparkling walls of the Labyrinth. He loved the fairy rings and the Fireys' wild parties and the peculiar old odd trees of the Underground. But most of all, he loved his little mossy home by the bridge over the Bog and treasured the honor of being its Guardian and of serving his king.

Didymus took a hesitant step forward. This was not his usual area of expertise, but Didymus would never back away from a challenge.

"I must say, Your Majesty, you played your part particularly well today also," Didymus said with another little bow. "You were a truly magnificent adversary. In fact, I can already see the changes in Lady Sarah based on what she learned today," Didymus said with pride.

Jareth gave a long quiet look at the shrewd little fox. "Lady Sarah," Jareth said softly. "Yes, let us hope she learned the lessons of the Labyrinth well," he mused. "But do not think for even one moment that she understood it," he finished sharply, rising to his feet.

Sir Didymus watched silently as Jareth stalked off toward his chambers.

"Well, there is nothing more that can be done for now. Not tonight," he said softly to himself, his dark eyes shining. He turned back toward the castle entrance and headed for home.


	3. Chapter 3

Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I have plans for this to be a long story, so more action will be happening soon. I'm trying to reestablish all of the characters first. This is my first fanfiction, so I love and appreciate your reviews! Thank you for reading!

Sarah was dreaming.

She was standing in the park in her princess dress-up clothes with the crown of flowers on her head. It was just as it had been the evening she wished Toby away, except that the sun was slipping below the horizon and everything was growing dark and still, and Merlin was nowhere in sight. She was all alone.

There was a gentle wind blowing through the leaves of the ancient oak trees surrounding the park. The only other sound was the quiet murmur of the little stream. Sarah stood there, very tall and straight, and closed her eyes as the wind fluttered through the petals and ribbons of her flower crown.

Suddenly, just as the moon began to light up the evening sky, the wind picked up and caught the crown up in a gust. Sarah quickly grabbed for it as the wind lifted it off her head, and as she turned, she saw it. A majestic owl, a mere pale glint overhead in the sky, its wings shining almost silver in the moonlight. The owl dove and swooped as it circled slowly downward, a beautiful predatory descent. Sarah watched it fly, fascinated. Her wide green eyes traced its every move, her lips slightly parted.

With one final graceful pull of his wings, the owl came to rest in the oak nearest Sarah. He neatly flipped his wings back and cocked his head to the side. Sarah returned his gaze. For a long moment they were both still in the shadows of the oaks, each regarding the other, as one by one the stars appeared in the night sky.

Finally, Sarah took a tentative step forward. She could feel her heart pounding through the thin white fabric of her princess dress, though she did not understand why. She slowly took a second step, her bare feet scarcely making any noise on the fallen leaves. As she started her third step, however, the owl suddenly launched himself off the branch and into the starry night sky, far out of reach.

"Wait!" Sarah cried. She ran to the edge of the stream, stretching out her hand to the sky, but it was too late. He was gone.

Morning at the Williams house dawned bright and early. It was a clear mid-September Saturday with perfectly blue skies. Sarah squinted as the sun's rays slipped through her window and over her face. She blinked her eyes and stretched in the warmth. Suddenly she sat up straight, her dream, the night before, and all of her adventures rushing back into her memory.

"Toby!" she gasped. She knew he was safe, but she had to see for herself, now that it was morning and the reality of what had occurred had settled back on to her like the sun's rays.

Sarah quickly grabbed a fuzzy robe from the back of her chair and pulled her long hair back with a tie as she rushed down the hallway to her father and Karen's bedroom, where Toby also slept. She knew her that her father and Karen, early risers, would already be awake and downstairs with their coffee. Sure enough, as she crossed into the hallway there was a warm and comforting smell of fresh-brewed coffee and maybe – pancakes? – wafting up from the kitchen downstairs.

She stepped quietly into the bedroom and looked down into the crib. A shiver ran through her, thinking about seeing an empty space or a goblin. But no, today it was just Toby in his familiar silly red-striped pajamas, breathing softly with one little thumb in his mouth, and Lancelot nestled against him. Toby's chubby little arm held the bear tightly, clearly a source of comfort as he dreamed. Sarah smiled fondly down at him, and reached a gentle hand out to caress his golden head.

From the doorway, Karen watched quietly. She had never seen Sarah take such an interest in Toby, nor had she ever seen that sweet, protective look on Sarah's face. She was honestly quite taken aback. She looked on in confusion as Sarah hummed a little song for the sleeping baby. After a few moments, she cleared her throat and came sweeping into the room.

"Well Sarah, since you are up now you should go get some pancakes while they are still warm. Your father made them as a special treat…since we wound up being out so late last night," Karen announced. Sarah was startled, looking up at Karen with an almost guilty look on her face.

"Oh, um…well that was okay. I mean I was just here anyway, it didn't really matter what time you got home," Sarah said quickly.

"Oh…well, good then," Karen replied a little awkwardly. The two women were so on guard around each other it was difficult for them to have a normal conversation. Sarah rubbed the back of her neck and shuffled her feet. Looking down, Karen noticed the stuffed bear by Toby's side.

"Oh, Sarah, I um, I know how much you hate it when Toby has that bear, it's just that he was crying last night before you got home and I was just trying to find something to calm him down for a minute," Karen said hastily. "I'll bring it back to your room after he wakes up." It wasn't that Karen didn't know that Sarah hated it when Karen gave her toys to Toby. It was just that sometimes when the toddler was having a crying fit Karen became desperate for a distraction and just couldn't bring herself to care if it was Sarah's favorite old stuffed bear or not. Karen would never admit it, but motherhood had been tougher than she thought it would be - and _stepmotherhood_ seemed nearly impossible.

"No! You don't have to do that! I mean – actually I gave Lancelot to Toby last night," Sarah blurted out.

"What?" Karen asked, a shocked expression on her face. "I thought it was one of your favorites!"

"Yes, but - Lancelot - he's just a toy," Sarah replied, glancing down at her sleeping brother's face again. "And it seemed to make Toby so happy, I just wanted him to have Lancelot now." Sarah's words came out in a rush, but as she looked down at Toby she smiled that sweet protective smile again. Karen was dumbfounded.

"Well Sarah – that is very generous of you," Karen finally managed.

"Generous..." Sarah mused, looking down at Toby. "What have I done that's generous?" It was more of a quiet statement than an actual question. Karen didn't know what to say.

Sarah looked up at Karen and gave her an awkward little smile. "So…those pancakes do sound good. I guess I'll go see if there are any left," she said. Sarah turned to leave the room but just as she reached the doorway Karen said "Sarah – wait."

Sarah turned back to the older woman, biting her lip a little. "Sarah," Karen said hesitatingly, "thank you for looking after Toby for us. It means a lot, you know…it means a lot when someone loves your child."

"I do love Toby," Sarah replied softly. "I love Toby very much." Then she slipped quietly down the stairs toward the kitchen, leaving Karen alone in the bedroom with Toby.

Karen hung on to one side of the crib and sank down into the chair behind it. She wondered if that was the longest conversation she and Sarah had every actually had. It was without a doubt one of the least acrimonious. A wave of guilt washed over Karen as she questioned whether she had really been trying to build a relationship with Sarah after all. She had at first, but the young girl refused to accept any new woman in her father's life, and Karen had to admit to herself that she had just lost patience with the whole situation. Once Toby was born, Karen realized that Sarah saw him as an intruder, and the resentment built up on both sides.

Karen was a thin, cautious woman by nature, and the stress of her blended family, especially with all the care an infant required, was stretching her more than she liked to admit to herself. And as for her husband – Sarah's father - Robert was a good man, and a loving father to both of his children, but he worked long hours and sometimes seemed a little oblivious to the tension in his home. Of course, after his first wife Linda, a whirling dervish of drama, had left him, Robert did just about anything he could to avoid conflict, especially with the women in his life. Karen sighed.

Karen had always wanted to be a wife and mother, but sometimes she felt like she was failing at it all. With all of her good upbringing and polite manners, she hated feeling inadequate, but it had been her reality these past few months. Well, maybe it didn't have to be.

Toby stirred in his crib and reached his little arms up, the beginnings of a cry on his face. Karen quickly swooped over and nestled him to her chest, comforting her son. He rewarded her with a sleepy smile, stretching in her arms. Karen thought once again about that almost maternal look on Sarah's face, and the softness in her voice when she said she loved the little boy. "Well, Toby," Karen said to him gently, "just when I thought we had nothing in common…maybe you can help bring us together after all."


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for all the kind comments and reviews! I treasure your feedback! I hope you enjoy this chapter - it is a long one! It may be a week before I can post again thanks to the demands of real life, but I promise this story will not be abandoned!

It was morning in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, and the Goblin King was pacing restlessly up and down the cold grey stone floor of his throne room. His black cape fanned out behind him as he stalked past the rays of light pouring in through the tall, narrow windows. Flashes of glitter and black and white feathers swirled in his wake like as dust motes floated through the sunlight. Around him, goblins laughed, and squabbled, and jumped, and danced. One week had passed since Sarah had left the Labyrinth, and life had returned to normal for his mischievous subjects. " _Not so for myself_ ," Jareth thought. He was annoyed – annoyed, with everyone around him, but mostly with himself.

When he had finally wearily retired to his chamber after speaking with Sir Didymus that fateful night Jareth had found himself nearly too irritated to sleep. He knew that the old fox meant well, but Jareth was proud and private, and couldn't bear anyone prying into his secret thoughts. The gentle and cautious tone Sir Didymus had taken had put Jareth more on guard than a direct confrontation would have done. The Goblin King knew how to intimidate and command. When in conflict he could overrule or deflect with ease. He did not like insinuations. He _loathed_ anything that could be considered pity (even if it was actually compassion). And he did not know _(nor did he want to know)_ how to talk about his _feelings_ , especially with one of his subjects. And especially if those _feelings_ were about Sarah.

For a long while Jareth had sat on the edge of the window seat in his chambers, gazing out over the Labyrinth and into the starry night sky. Jareth loved the night. With his owl-like eyes he could see just as well in the dark as in the light, and the night brought a peace and quiet that he seldom enjoyed during his daytime existence as monarch over a land of goblins, misfits, and outcasts of all kinds. In the rare stillness of the previous evening, however, his thoughts had turned again and again back to Sarah.  
"Damn her innocent eyes," he muttered to the silence.

He remembered the first time he had seen her. He had managed to get away from court on a beautiful afternoon and was enjoying the thrill of the wind in his wings as he soared over the Aboveground. Most of his kind ( _what few that remained_ ) avoided the Above, but he and some others still regularly journeyed there, observing the humans who moved so quickly and their world that changed so fast, their mortal lifespans driving them to make the most of each day.

Jareth had no such impetus. He was content to spend the afternoon in his owl form, silently gazing out over the figures coming and going below him from his perch in the old oak in the park. He didn't know why he kept returning to the same small park, but something about the vibrant green grass, the sparkling water, and the old languid willows drew him back again and again. He had long since seen the rest of the world. Now he mostly returned to his own favorite places when he ventured Above.

On that afternoon eight years ago the sun shining through the leaves of the oak tree had created dappled patterns on the ground below and a gentle breeze had stirred the reeds that grew on the shore of the shining lake. Jareth had flown to a sturdy branch high up in the tree and changed back to his humanoid form, stretching his lithe body down the branch and leaning back against the tree trunk. He was well-concealed by more than just the leaves and branches, for his magic kept him from being seen when he was Above if he so wished. He was lost in thought when he heard the laughter of three small children as they ran through the grass nearby. They stopped in the shade of his oak tree and the King languidly inclined his head to glance down upon them. One child was a little boy with red curls, freckles, and dimples. Another child was tan with golden hair hanging in a braid down her back. But the third child had pale skin, dark, shining hair, and big green eyes. All three children looked to be about seven or eight years old, and they rested beneath the oak tree, catching their breath after running across the green grass.

"Okay, time to play hide-and-seek!" the little boy announced. "Sarah, you count and Jane and I will hide."

"But Tommy, you said we could play make-believe next, after tag!" the dark-haired girl cried.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Come on, Sarah, no one wants to play that anymore. We're too old for that stuff," he said, puffing out his little chest. Jareth suppressed a snicker at the boy's bravado and leaned down a little closer, interested in the little display of conflict emerging below him.

"But you guys promised," Sarah objected. "We never get to play what I want to play. It's not fair!" she cried out.

"Hide and seek is way more fun though, Sarah. Jane, you don't want to play any kiddie make-believe stuff, do you?" Tommy asked the girl with the long braid.

Jane just shrugged her narrow shoulders and blinked her big blue eyes. Tommy was her big brother and she usually just played whatever game Tommy chose.

"Jane, don't listen to him! If we play make-believe, you can be….you can be the fairy princess!" Sarah exclaimed. "And Tommy, you could be the brave knight, protecting the princess from the goblin army!"

At the girl's mention of goblins Jareth's pointed ears perked up. Fewer and fewer human children used their imaginations much at all, and even when they did, goblins were rarely the subject of any modern child's make-believe.

Tommy just rolled his eyes again. "Sarah, you know that none of that stuff is real, right? There aren't any goblins or fairies. There aren't even really any princesses anymore."

"You don't know that," Sarah said angrily, stamping her little foot. "And there are so princesses. And fairies. And goblins! My mom tells me the best stories about them! And she's been in lots of plays about them!" she exclaimed.

"Sarah, that's all just kid stuff," Tommy said, wrinkling his nose. "Besides, who wants to believe in goblins anyway? They're creepy."

For a second Jareth felt offended by the boy's offhand remark, but then he realized it was pretty much true. His goblins _were_ creepy, especially if you hadn't gotten to know them. They were also silly, stupid, loyal, funny, easily amused, and unfortunately flammable (though nearly indestructible) with a special magic of their own.

" _Creepy_ is all part of the charm," Jareth murmured to himself. He had not exactly chosen the rule of the Goblin Kingdom, but he had grown to care for it over the long, long years of his reign. Of course, there were days when Jareth wanted to throw himself out the tower window, or fling every single one of his subjects into the Bog of Eternal Stench, but his kingdom was great, and the Labyrinth was renowned throughout the Underground. Besides, he knew the goblins needed him. They lacked any real ability to plan for the future or to defend themselves against any kind of organized force, and that made them vulnerable without a ruler to protect them and their lands.

"Well, I like them," Sarah said, facing Tommy with her little hands on her hips. "And I believe they're real!"

" _She likes goblins_?" Jareth thought incredulously, his blue eyes widening in surprise. He wondered what sorts of goblin stories her mother had been telling her. He knew that she was telling the truth, too - to a magical creature such as himself, Sarah's belief radiated off of her like a golden glow.

"Well, I don't believe in them," Tommy said firmly. "Sarah, if you're not going to play hide-and-seek we don't have enough people. We might as well just go play at home. I got a new video game last week anyway. Come on, Jane," Tommy replied, grabbing his sister by the hand and dragging her away. Jane shrugged back at Sarah over her shoulder but didn't resist.

"Fine then! I don't need you to play with me anyway!" Sarah called out, crossing her arms over her chest. She watched them leave with a sparkle in her eye, but once they were out of sight she slumped against the tree trunk and slid down it until she was sitting on the ground, her baby blue dress covered with dirt.

Jareth found the little brunette totally charming in her childish way. He admired her spirit, and was amused by the way she had tossed her little head back to glare defiantly at her companions. But he recognized all too well the look of loneliness in her downcast eyes. She curled up into a little ball against the tree trunk, crossing her legs and resting her chin against one tight little fist. With his better-than-human sight Jareth could see hot tears forming in Sarah's green eyes.

"That's alright, little one," he whispered to himself. "Don't let them tell you what to believe." Inexplicably, he felt compelled to comfort the human girl.

Jareth did something next that he wondered about for years. Before he even really thought about it, he formed a crystal in his palm and gently blew on it. It dissolved into a fine golden glitter that the breeze carried down to Sarah, sprinkling into her hair and onto her shoulders. It was gone in an instant before she could even notice it, but the spell had already done its work. The golden glitter had placed her under the protection of the King and had given her certain powers.

Suddenly, a woman's voice called out and a lovely woman around thirty years old came into view. Jareth knew instantly that it was the girl's mother, for they shared the same bright eyes and dark hair.

"Sarah!" she called. The girl hurriedly wiped her eyes and stood up, dusting off her dress.

"Here I am, Mommy," Sarah called back to her. She started to run over to her mother, but she suddenly stopped and looked back behind her up into the old oak tree.

Of course, there was nothing there.

Sarah turned back and ran to her mother, grabbing her hand. Jareth watched silently as the two walked out of the park. He hesitated for a moment, but swiftly changed back into his owl form, and followed them as they walked back toward the beautiful old white Victorian home where they lived. Just like his favorite perch in the park, there was a stately old oak tree right next to the home. Jareth perched on it and peered in the closest window. Sure enough, it was a little girl's room, full of toys and books and dress-up clothes and pretty things. As Jareth watched, Sarah ran inside the room squealing with glee, her mother chasing her up onto the bed. Sarah grabbed up a stuffed bear in her arms, while her mother captured her in her own arms, until they all collapsed into a laughing heap on the bed.

Feeling as though he had lingered too long, Jareth took wing and headed back to the Underground with lightness in his heart that he hadn't felt in a long time. Of course, that day he never noticed the little red book on Sarah's nightstand.

Jareth's reverie was interrupted by a shaggy grey goblin tugging on his pants. "Your Majesty?" asked the goblin, trying to get Jareth's attention.

Jareth sighed. "Yes, Squeak, what is it?"

"The dwarf is here," Squeak squeaked. "He wants to see you,"

"The dwarf?!" Jareth exclaimed, surprised. He thought that Hedgewart would surely lay low for weeks after his little adventure with Sarah. Looking up, he saw Hoggle standing in the doorway of the throne room, trying his best not to look terrified.

"Well then," Jareth drawled, his gloved hands on his narrow hips. "Do come in."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Thank you all again for the lovely reviews! I am glad my readers are interested in the Sarah/Karen relationship, and I am happy to hear that Little Sarah was well-received. I got this chapter done a little earlier than I expected, so enjoy!

The Williams home was still and dark under the starlight. Robert and Karen were soundly asleep, dreaming away the cares of adulthood. Little Toby was quietly sleeping in his crib, snuggled up with his favorite bear, Lancelot. Even Merlin was curled up quietly in his favorite spot in the living room.

But one member of the Williams family was wide awake.

One week had passed since Sarah's adventure in the Labyrinth. She was anxious to try to contact her friends, but she had dreamed of the owl in the park three times that week, and Sarah thought it might be safer to wait for a while. She knew they wouldn't try to call her unless they were sure her family members weren't around, and it felt like they nearly always were. She was still scared that her friends would get into trouble for helping her, despite Sir Didymus' reassurances. However, tonight her patience was at an end. Carefully, she slipped out from under her bedcovers and tiptoed over to the vanity. She gently opened one of the drawers, wincing a little at the squeaky protest it gave, and pulled out a purple flashlight. She switched it on and set it on the vanity, smoothing back her hair and gathering her nerves.

"Hoggle? Ludo? Sir Didymus? I need you," Sarah whispered to the mirror.

There was no immediate response. Sarah nervously bit her bottom lip as she gazed at nothing but her own reflection and the shadows of her room.

"Hoggle? Are you there? Oh, please be there," she whispered anxiously.

Suddenly, on the other side of the mirror, a candle flared into view, followed by Hoggle's wrinkled face. He was wearing a little red velvet nightcap and blinking sleepily.

"Who's callin' me in the middle of the night?" Hoggle grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Sarah grabbed the purple flashlight and shone it under her chin to illuminate her face. "It's me, Hoggle! It's Sarah!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "Oh, I'm so glad you're there!"

"Sarah!" he cried, startled. She quickly raised her finger to her lips, cautioning him to be quiet. "Sarah," he tried again, this time whispering. "How are you? Boy, am I glad to see that the portal is still open! The ol' rat must have forgotten about it!" Hoggle said gleefuly.

"I'm glad it's working too," Sarah said, smiling. "But I'm not sure if he forgot it or not." She hesitated.

"What is it, Sarah? Is everything okay?" Hoggle asked.

"Well yes, I'm fine. In fact…everything is really great, actually. But I've been having this dream," Sarah said carefully. She wasn't sure she really wanted to tell anyone else about her dream of the owl, but she thought it might be important.

"What kind of dream?" Hoggle asked immediately, his eyes growing suspicious.

"It's nothing really. It's just me alone in the park where I sometimes go to think. It's night and everything is dark, just like right now. Only…" Sarah took a deep breath.

"What is it, Sarah?" Hoggle asked anxiously.

"Only then a white owl appears. He swoops down and lands on a branch and just looks at me. It's…it's like he wants something, but when I try to ask him, he flies away and I wake up," Sarah said in a rush. Hoggle drew in a breath sharply.

"A white owl? But he doesn't speak?" Hoggle asked, nervously twiddling his fingers.

"No. Everything is quiet, except for me," Sarah answered. "Oh Hoggle, I wanted to call you sooner to make sure everything was okay, but I worried about what it meant. I was so afraid you'd be in trouble."

"Well, as a matter of fact I'm doin' just fine, Sarah," Hoggle replied. "Actually, I haven't heard a peep from the Castle all week."

"And Ludo and Sir Didymus?" Sarah asked, clasping her hands together.

"They're fine too," Hoggle replied. "Well, s'far as I know, anyways. Ludo hangs out in the forest with all the rocks and I only sees him some of the time, but he seems just as happy as can be. Didymus lives down by the Bog as y'know, and there ain't no way I'm gettin' any closer to the Bog than I has to. But I seen him a few days ago –he dropped by my little cottage here to say hello and bring me a fresh gooseberry pie. Apparently likes to bake, and I ain't one to turn down a pie," Hoggle grunted.

"Oh, I'm so glad," Sarah said. Her face lit up with her smile of relief (and the purple flashlight).

"Really Didymus is the one you oughta be askin' about that dream, Sarah," Hoggle continued. "He knows way more about ol' King Rat than any of the rest of us do," he said sourly.

"So you don't have any idea what it might mean?" Sarah asked.

"All I knows is I don't like it," Hoggle grumbled in reply. "You know Jareth has an owl form, and I reckon you know that he has some kinda powers over dreams. Makes me nervous," Hoggle grimaced.

"Yes, I certainly knew that," Sarah said ruefully. Images of white tulle and sparkling crystal flashed in her mind.

Hoggle suddenly looked down guiltily and shuffled his feet. "Um, Sarah? Did he…did he send you a dream? When he made me give you that peach?"

"Hoggle, you don't have to feel bad. I told you I forgave you for that," Sarah replied softly, seeing her friend's distress.

"I know, and I'm thankful for it," Hoggle replied humbly. "I just wondered. We didn't know what had happened to ya."

Sarah hesitated again. Already the details were becoming blurry in her mind, but she remembered a mocking crowd, a crystal chandelier, a flash of sparkling blue. She remembered a beautiful song…and a dance. She blushed a little as Jareth's face suddenly flashed in her mind, gazing into her eyes. She realized she didn't want to talk about it, not even with Hoggle – she felt oddly private about the memory.

"There was a dream, but it was fine," she said cautiously. "I mean, it didn't hurt me. It was like…like he was just trying to distract me. Make me lose time. I don't really remember it that well," she finished, a bit lamely.

Hoggle eyed her a little suspiciously. "Well, I'm glad you weren't hurt. I still feel like I done wrong, but I'm glad…I'm glad we're still friends," he finished bashfully.

"Me too," Sarah said, with a genuine smile. "I know it's late and that I woke you. I'm just so glad to know I can still see you. Can I call you again soon?"

"Of course!" Hoggle said. "Jus' maybe not in the middle of the night next time," he grinned.

"I'll try again when my parents are out and Toby's asleep, or when I'm sure I know they're busy and will stay out of my room for a while," Sarah said, grinning back. "Give everyone my love when you see them next."

"I will missy, and you keep an eye on yourself," Hoggle replied. "Goodnight, Sarah."

"Goodnight, Hoggle!" Sarah watched as his picture in the mirror rippled and then smoothed again, leaving nothing behind but her reflection. She carefully switched off the flashlight and returned it to the drawer. She had to feel around to find her way back to bed since her eyes had gotten used to the dim light the flashlight had provided. As she pulled the covers back up under her chin, she thought about what Hoggle had told her.

"Power over dreams…but no power over me," she murmured sleepily. As she rolled over to bury her face in the soft pillow, she wondered if the owl would visit her tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thank you, dear readers, for the reviews! I am really glad to hear that you like where the story is going! You will get some important information in this chapter that will give you a hint as to what the next adventure will be (ooh, mysterious!). The next chapter will be posted next week. I covet your reviews! :)**

After his unexpected nighttime conversation with Sarah, Hoggle found there were certain questions he could not get out of his mind – questions he had long ignored in favor of staying out of the Goblin King's way whenever he could. But during the rest of that night he reflected on Sarah's bright green eyes, and the little stirring of courage that had been working in him since Sarah's run in the Labyrinth. He didn't sleep at all the rest of that dark night – he didn't want to dream. By morning he had reached a decision. He set out for the Castle Beyond the Goblin City at first light.

As he stood trembling in the passageway outside the throne room, he watched as the shaggy grey goblin approached the Goblin King. In Hoggle's eyes, Jareth was the picture of indolent arrogance as he lounged in his throne. Hoggle swallowed hard and wrung his handkerchief in his hands.

"The dwarf is here," Hoggle heard the goblin say. "He wants to see you,"

"The dwarf?!" Jareth exclaimed. Looking up, Jareth saw Hoggle standing in the doorway of the throne room, trying his best not to look terrified. Hoggle felt his courage shrinking as Jareth's customary smirk replaced his temporary look of surprise.

"Well then," Jareth drawled, his gloved hands on his narrow hips. "Do come in."

Hoggle resisted the urge to run and mustered all the courage that he had as he stepped closer to the throne. He was thinking of Sarah and her bright green eyes – and of someone else that he hadn't thought of for years.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Hedgewart, my favorite traitorous gardener. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Jareth purred dangerously.

Hoggle decided to fake it the best he could and stood up as straight as his dwarf body could stand. "It's HOGGLE. And I ain't trait'rous. Sarah had a pure heart and you knew it," Hoggle had replied with far more venom than Jareth had expected. Jareth raised both his pointed eyebrows with a slight expression of surprise. He would never let the dwarf know it but he had been impressed with the way he had overcome his cowardice to help Sarah, as any citizen of the Labyrinth was freely permitted to do in accordance with the Rules. It was just that Jareth had never had to even try very hard to intimidate the sniveling little dwarf. He had not counted on his sudden burst of courage and it had cost him.

"What of it?" Jareth asked coldly. "She has her brother back, does she not? She is safe, is she not?" He tried to keep his voice casual even though his heart sank having to talk about Sarah and Toby so soon after he had lost them both. He stood a bit straighter and approached the dwarf with a hand on his hip. Jareth was pleased to see that Hoggle still trembled a bit as he came nearer. "If you think I did wrong then truly you do not understand the Rules," Jareth sniffed.

"Well I do think you did wrong," Hoggle muttered defiantly. "You shouldn'tve…shoudnt've made me give her that peach." Hoggle attempted a defiant glare, but Jareth's face grew dark and a sudden wind swirled around him. Squeak and the other nearby goblins beat a hasty retreat for the corners of the throne room, leaving Jareth and Hoggle facing off alone in the center of the room.

"It is not for _you_ to tell me what to do, little wretch," Jareth hissed. "I was well within my rights to try to trick the runner into a dream."

Hoggle cowered but to Jareth's amazement replied, "Well, you didn't have to get me involved. I didn't want to do anything that would hurt her!"

Jareth looked at him with cold fury in his eyes. "I assure you, Hogwart, Sarah was in no danger from the dream I sent to her. On the contrary, she did a considerable amount of damage, not that _she_ cared if someone got hurt," Jareth sneered.

Hoggle cringed away from Jareth's wrath but couldn't help noticing the strange phrase. "S-someone got hurt?" he stammered.

Now it was Jareth's turn to cringe as he realized he had revealed far more than he ever wished to. He said nothing but simply glowered at Hoggle.

"What happened in Sarah's dream?" Hoggle asked, his curiosity getting the better of his fear for once.

"It is none of your concern. This conversation is over." Jareth turned sharply on his booted heels and returned to his throne, looking down his nose at Hoggle. The dwarf struggled but resisted his nearly overwhelming urge to turn and run out of the room. Suddenly, with a final burst of courage, he finally asked what he really wanted to know.

"Is that how you made my mother lose?" Hoggle asked suddenly. "You tricked her into a dream?"

Jareth was speechless. In thirty-seven Underground years Hoggle had never asked once about the circumstances that had led to him becoming a citizen of the Labyrinth. Jareth stood slowly back up from his throne.

"I did not." As he answered he clenched his gloved fist and slammed it down on his throne. Jareth's angular face was like stone as he took a step forward.

It was too much for Hoggle. He turned and ran for dear life.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Dear readers, I am back with a new chapter this week! This chapter focuses on Sarah again. We'll return to the Labyrinth characters in the next chapter. Please leave me some encouragement in review form! I have never shared my writing with anyone else, so your feedback is very valuable to me. Plus reviews help me write faster! ;)**

Sarah walked in the kitchen door and set her heavy backpack down by the table. She stretched her arms above her head, shaking the feeling of the heavy weight off her shoulders, and opened the refrigerator door. It had been hours since her turkey sandwich at lunch and after the bus ride home at the end of the school day she was always starving. Sarah grabbed the cold glass container of milk from the fridge and rummaged around in the pantry looking for some peanut butter. It felt good to be back inside the warm kitchen – now it was late October and there was a distinct chill in the air, even on a sunny afternoon.

"Sarah, is that you?" Karen's voice called from upstairs.

Sarah froze, clutching a pack of graham crackers. Over the past few weeks, she and Karen had seemed to settle into a tentative rapport, but the sound of her stepmother's voice still put Sarah a little on edge.

"Yes, I'm home," Sarah called back.

"Could you come upstairs for a minute?" Karen responded.

Sighing quietly, Sarah took a quick sip of the milk and stuck it back in the fridge, leaving her crackers and peanut butter out on the counter. "Coming," she called as she trudged up the stairs.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Sarah thought she saw a darting movement. She turned her head quickly, but there was nothing there.

Turning the corner, she opened the door to Toby's room. Since she had caught Toby climbing out of his crib on more than one occasion, Karen had reluctantly decided that he was old enough to sleep in his own "big boy" bed now. They had converted the crib into a toddler bed and moved it into out of Karen and Robert's bedroom into the smaller room right down the hall from Sarah's.

"Sawah!" Toby exclaimed when his sister opened the door. He held his little hands up to her for a hug. For a minute, Sarah forgot her tiredness and grinned back at the little boy. She was so relieved when he started saying some simple words and phrases; she realized how frustrating it must have been for her baby brother when all he could do was cry to try to tell them what he needed.

"Hey big guy," Sarah cooed at Toby, reaching down to accept his hug and sweep him into her arms. "How was your day?"

Karen smiled at the pair. Since that morning she had watched Sarah by Toby's crib she had been amazed to see how close the two had become. Sarah doted on Toby, and he adored his big sister. It was quite a change from Toby's first year and a half of life.

"Sarah, I called you up here because Toby wanted to show you his drawing before he goes down for his afternoon nap," Karen said. "He made me promise that I would remember to show you."

"Is that so?" Sarah asked, smiling. "Well, in that case I can't wait to see it!"

"YEAH!" Toby cried, bouncing up and down on his toddler bed. Sarah laughed, rolling her eyes a little. As much as she loved Toby, sometimes he did still remind her of a mischievous little goblin.

Karen retrieved a slightly crumpled piece of construction paper from the play table and handed it to Sarah. "Here is his masterpiece of the day," Karen proclaimed with a little smile.

Sarah reached over and accepted the drawing. Like most two year olds, Toby's "drawings" were usually just scribbles on paper that he made between throwing his Cheerios on the floor and unrolling all of the toilet paper in the guest bathroom. However, today as soon as Sarah glanced down at the paper she froze. The figures were still done in a childish scrawl, but she could still make out several little figures that appeared to be dancing around one much taller figure. A tall, thin figure with a wild yellow scribble for hair.

"Wow, Toby," Sarah said, a little shakily. "This is really great! Can you tell me about it?" Sarah kneeled down so that she was eye level with the little boy."

"I drew magic! The dance magic," Toby exclaimed, throwing his little hands up in the air and jumping up and down.

"Dance magic?" Sarah repeated, her eyes wide. Toby just grinned back at her.

Karen laughed. "Oh Toby!" she said fondly. "You are the silliest and sweetest little boy! But now you've shown Sarah your picture and it's time for your nap."

"No!" Toby said, as little toddler dictators often do. "No nap!"

"Come on, Toby," Sarah said, beaming back to reality. "Take a nap now like a good boy, and before dinner we can go to the park," she wheedled.

"Park?" Toby brightened.

"Yes, that's right," Sarah reassured him. "I'll take you so Karen can finish up dinner before Daddy gets home." Karen smiled gratefully at Sarah. She seemed to have such a way with Toby.

"Pwomise?" Toby asked, sucking cautiously on his index finger.

"Promise," Sarah reassured him, kissing him on top of his head. "Now lay down in bed, and close your eyes. Mommy and I will keep you safe," Sarah whispered.

Toby still looked a little reluctant, but he did as she asked. Karen gently tucked the covers around her sleepy son, and as he sighed a contented little sigh she gestured quietly to Sarah. The two women tiptoed out of the room, switching out Toby's light as the closed the door.

"Oh Sarah!" Karen said softly once they were in the hallway. "Thank you for helping with him, and for looking at his picture. He couldn't wait to show it to you, and wouldn't stop babbling about the 'dance magic' all afternoon. I thought it might be from one of those stories you tell him," Karen said, glancing over at her stepdaughter. Sarah looked lost in thought.

"Not exactly," Sarah said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well anyway, he loves your stories. And thank you for offering to take him to the park. I've got several things I need to get ready before your father gets home this evening, and that will be a big help," Karen said, tentatively squeezing Sarah's shoulder.

"Sure," Sarah said, smiling again. "I'll go finish my snack and do a little homework so I'll be ready when he wakes up."

Sarah headed back downstairs toward the kitchen. Though her smile had been genuine, it slipped off her face when she thought about Toby's drawing. Could he remember the Labyrinth?


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Hello dear readers! I am so happy about all the great reviews I got that I am posting a DOUBLE chapter this time! As several of you have noticed, I _do_ plan for this to be a long story. So don't be worried that Sarah and Jareth haven't interacted much...yet.

Special thanks to **labyrinthlover30** , **Rosadargento** , **vespersrain** , **Kaytori** , **jetboyjetgirl** , and **Guest** for your reviews and encouragement! And EXTRA special thanks to **Lylabeth1** and **Honoria Granger** , who have left reviews on every single chapter! Thank you so much!

Toby and Sarah returned from the park with windblown hair, both of them laughing and a little dirty. Karen smiled a little wryly – she still thought it was a bit odd that Sarah wanted to gallivant about in the park with Toby instead of hanging out with friends (especially _boy_ friends) after school, but she had to admit she needed the help, and she loved the closeness the half-siblings shared. Both of them had greeted Robert with hugs and everyone settled in for another one of Karen's delicious dinners. Even when their relationship had been at its rockiest, Sarah had to admit that Karen could cook.

"Oh by the way Sarah, if you don't mind watching Toby this Friday, Karen and I were planning to go out to dinner," Robert said as they cleared the dinner dishes.

"I don't mind," Sarah said quickly. "We can try finger painting again, right Tobes?" she asked, grinning at her brother. He clapped his hands gleefully.

Sarah expected her parents to go out at least once each weekend , but she truly didn't mind. When Robert and Karen were out for the evening, and Toby was sound asleep, Sarah would call her Labyrinth friends and catch up. She'd missed them for the last couple of weeks for various reasons and she was dying to hear from them. But her plans were about to change.

"Actually," Karen said suddenly, "I was thinking we should _all_ go out to dinner this Friday. There's a new pizza place that just opened up downtown and it looked like it could be fun."

"Really?" Robert asked, surprised. Despite being a great cook herself, Karen had always been more of a "fancy bistro" type than "local pizza parlor" type, and she always seemed relieved to get a night away from home.

"Yes, of course. I mean, I enjoy our date nights, Robert, but we should go out as a _family_ sometimes too," Karen said, stressing the word family. "That is, if you want to go, Sarah. I know sometimes teenagers would rather drop dead than be seen in public with their parents," Karen added quickly.

"No, I - I would love it," Sarah said. "That sounds great. And we can still try finger painting when we get back, don't worry Toby," she said, smiling. "I said we would and I meant it."

 _What's said is said._

The memory echoed in Sarah's head for a moment. Her smile slipped for just a second, but she realized that no matter what her complicated feelings were about the teacher that it had been a good lesson. She had learned the power of words and promises and she wouldn't forget it. Before Robert or Karen could notice Sarah's expression, she shook off the memory and rejoined the conversation, looking forward to her family's Friday night plans for the first time in a long time.

On the same Friday that Sarah was out enjoying a pizza with her family, Hoggle paced back and forth in front of the mirror inside his cozy little cottage just inside the gates of the Labyrinth. Hoggle might be just a gardener in the Labyrinth, but in his own home he was the king, and he liked for everything to be just so. There was a crackling fire in the fireplace over which was situated a charming little tea kettle. Flower boxes with yellow and purple blooms cheered every window as they caught the last rays of the setting sun. There were even some little strawberry cakes on a plate on Hoggle's humble wooden kitchen table. But all of these domestic comforts failed to bring comfort to Hoggle that evening.

"Oh, what to do, what to do," Hoggle fretted. He continued his pacing until he'd nearly worn a path in the smooth dirt floor, a mournful look on his wrinkled face.

The sun had set and silvery stars were beginning to peep out of the dark night sky. Suddenly there was a knock-knock-knock on the cottage door.

Hoggle was so tightly wound that he jumped, though he had been expecting the knock for quite some time. "Finally!" he grumbled as he walked over to the door to admit his guests. He turned the bronze knob and opened the wooden door wide. Just outside were a huge, shaggy red beast and a feisty little fox.

"Ah, Sir Hoggle!" Didymus cried. "We do apologize for our tardiness. Brother Ludo was kind enough to assist one of the goblins who had gotten her tail stuck under a rock on our way to your charming home," Didymus explained in his dignified manner.

"Figures you'd be late 'cause of them annoying goblins," Hoggle groused.

"Goblins friends," Ludo said happily. Hoggle just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Hast thou heard from our fair maiden, Sir Hoggle?" Didymus inquired.

"Nah, Sarah sent me a message through the mirror yesterday – says she can't talk tonight until much later, if at all," Hoggle said sadly. "Something about plans with her family. Sure wish she was here. The truth is," he sighed, "I need some help."

"Why, Sir Hoggle! What troubles you?" Didymus exclaimed. Ludo's mouth was full of strawberry cake, but he also looked concerned.

"Well, ya see, there's this problem," Hoggle began shakily. "That is, I er, I need to go on - on a quest."

At the word "quest" Sir Didymus' demeanor transformed from merely "overly eager" to "breathless excitement."

"A QUEST?" Didymus yelled. "Surely this is a blessed evening! A new opportunity for a quest with my two stalwart brothers-in-arms!" Didymus threw out his arms as if to hug the air and smiled, showing all his pointy teeth.

"Well, I guess you're interested," Hoggle muttered.

"Ludo quest?" the great beast asked with a grin. His curved teeth would have looked frightening on another creature of his size, but Ludo's eyes had a permanently kind expression.

"Yes, yes, Ludo quest," Hoggle replied, testily rubbing his bushy eyebrows.

"Sir Hoggle, what is to be the nature of our quest? Could there be yet another fair maiden that needs our help? Is there some treasure to be found? An enemy to be vanquished?" Didymus was nearly bursting with enthusiasm.

"Well, ya see, it's like this. The quest is to...the Dwarf Kingdom," Hoggle said hesitantly.

Ludo and Sir Didymus looked like Hoggle had just thrown a bucket of ice water over them.

"Haaah?" Ludo asked, confused.

"Sir Hoggle, you mean the quest will take us beyond the Underground?" Didymus asked, incredulous.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Hoggle grumbled. He knew that this was not what they were expecting. Hoggle nervously fingered the plastic bracelet around his wrist and wished that Sarah was there.

"But how can such a thing be accomplished? We are citizens of the Underground. It would be most difficult for us to travel between the realms, not without assistance," Didymus continued.

"Well then, we'll need some assistance, I guess," Hoggle said.

"I'm sure you know it takes someone of great power to travel in that manner, Sir Hoggle or to transport others," Didymus replied.

"Fortunately we know someone of great power!" Hoggle said, a bit smugly.

"Sir Hoggle! Hast thou asked His Majesty to assist us?" Didymus exclaimed in surprise.

"What!? No! Not that rat," Hoggle grumbled. "He'd never help me." Didymus started to defend his king, but seeing the stubborn glint in Hoggle's eyes, decided to wait until a better time to try to ease some of Hoggle's prejudices towards Jareth. Not, Didymus privately admitted to himself, Jareth had ever done much to ease them himself in front of Hoggle.

"Who then can assist us?" Didymus questioned sincerely instead. Ludo looked on eagerly with shining eyes.

"Why, Sarah, of course!" Hoggle proudly announced.

Suddenly, like magic (which it was), Sarah's face appeared in the mirror.

"Did you call me?" she asked her friends, smiling broadly at them.

"SARAH!" All three friends joyously cried. She laughed and asked "So, what's the news?"

There was so much excitement all all three of them tried to talk first that none of them noticed the owl perched on the tree outside Hoggle's front door. Jareth listened carefully to every word.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** You asked for more, so here is a nice long chapter! I can't wait to hear what you think about Hoggle's quest! By the way, I don't have a beta, so if you notice any mistakes, please feel free to let me know.

Sarah sat in front of her bedroom vanity, but the mirror only showed her own reflection for now. She was lost in thought, absently running a brush through her long dark hair. She was tired – it had been a long day, full of surprises – but she couldn't stop thinking about the quest.

She had arrived to talk to her Labyrinth friends breathless and happier than she ever thought she would be after an evening out with her father, baby brother, and stepmother. They had laughed over pizza and Robert had surprised everybody by suggesting they stop by a local arcade on the way home. Sarah had challenged her father to a skee-ball competition and they cheerfully ribbed each other as Karen stood smiling off to the side, holding baby Toby as he watched and clapped his hands in glee. Before too long though, he could no longer keep his baby blues open and the little family took him safely home. Sarah helped Karen quietly tuck him into his toddler bed. As they tiptoed from his room, Karen turned to smile at her stepdaughter.

"I think all that fun really wore him out, don't you?" Karen asked. "Maybe he'll sleep late tomorrow."

"I had fun too," Sarah said, shyly returning Karen's smile. "I wanted to thank for you tonight."

"You're welcome. I think we all had a good time," Karen said. Sarah hesitated for just a moment, but then impulsively hugged the older woman. Karen could only raise her eyebrows in surprise for a moment, but she quickly recovered, returning Sarah's gentle squeeze with one of her own.

"Sweet dreams, Sarah" Karen said softly as they ended their embrace. "You need some rest too." Sarah shrugged, but smiled as she crossed the hallway into her room. Sarah gently closed the door and turned out her bedroom light as Karen returned to the room she shared with Robert. But Sarah didn't go to bed. She sat quietly on the edge of her four-poster and waited until she thought her parents might be asleep. She felt a little bad about her duplicity, but she couldn't wait to talk to her Labyrinth friends, and she was so happy she wanted to tell them about it. Gingerly she opened the squeaky dresser drawer with the purple flashlight, turned it on, and wished for her friends. The mirror rippled and suddenly she could see the inside of Hoggle's cottage where her friends seemed to be having a lively discussion. She overheard Hoggle say her name just as the distorted mirror image finally resolved to show his face clearly.

"Did you call me?" she asked her friends, smiling broadly at them.

"SARAH!" All three friends joyously cried. She laughed and asked "So, what's the news?"

Then all three of them were talking so rapidly that she couldn't understand a word they were saying.

"Wait, wait, slow down! One at a time!" she cried. "Sir Didymus, you go first," she decided, since the noble fox looked like he could nearly burst with the strain of trying to stay quiet. Hoggle pouted but stayed quiet.

Didymus drew himself up proudly and announced, "Sir Hoggle has chosen us to accompany him on his quest!"

"A quest!" Sarah said, astonished. "Hoggle, what's going on?"

"Well, ya see, I'm going to go on a quest to the Dwarf Kingdom. The Kingdom where my people come from," Hoggle explained. "I'm seeking , uhhh, a special lady – and I have reason to believe that she lives there," he finished, realizing that he didn't actually know how to explain the quest.

"A special lady!" Sarah exclaimed, astonished once again.

"Is she is distress?" cried Didymus.

"Lady need help?" Ludo asked.

"Have you met her before?" Sarah queried.

"Is she of great beauty, or power?" Didymus couldn't wait to ask.

"Lady hungry?" Ludo tried.

"Arrrgh!" Hoggle yelled in frustration.

Outside the window, Jareth rolled his owl eyes. He was frustrated to no end that he could hear Sarah's voice, but from the angle he was perched outside Hoggle's cottage he could not see her face in the mirror, and he did not wish to disrupt the gathering before he could discover what this harebrained plan of Hoggle's was. He would have to remember to reward the furry goblin who had thought to tell him that he had seen the fox and the rock caller heading to Hoggle's cottage that evening.

"Just lemme finish, alright?" Hoggle cried, holding out his hands in entreaty. "None of you are right anyway. Well, except Sarah. I have met her before," he said almost wistfully. "But it was a long time ago, and I barely even remember. Far as I know she's not in any distress, and she's not of any great beauty or power, just a dwarf. Like me. She might be hungry though," Hoggle pondered out loud.

Three pairs of eyes were on him, waiting for him to finish. He hesitated, and suddenly decided to take the plunge.

"The thing that makes her special is…is that she's my mother," Hoggle said.

"Your mother!" his friends all repeated in surprise. Outside on the tree branch, Jareth himself was so surprised that he nearly launched himself off the tree branch and had to fan his wings and dig his golden talons into the branch in a most unkingly manner to keep himself from losing his grip.

"Oh lord no," Jareth groaned internally.

Inside the friends were still gathered around Hoggle, still full of questions, but no one knew what to ask first. Finally Sarah spoke up.

"You don't remember your own mother?" Sarah asked softly.

"No. No I don't." Hoggle said quietly. Didymus and Ludo exchanged sad glances.

"Wait just a minute," Sarah said, a determined look appearing on her face.

Tentatively, Sarah reached her hand up to touch the mirror's cool, smooth surface. Her friends had come over to her side once before, after her victory, but she had never tried going back through herself. She gave a gentle push and felt the mirror resist slightly, like gelatin, then gasped as her hand slipped through. Carefully she crawled up onto the vanity and gingerly stepped through the mirror into Hoggle's cottage. Ludo helped her jump down. She gratefully squeezed his furry arm and took a few gentle steps toward Hoggle, who was gaping openmouthed at her sudden physical appearance in his home.

Jareth felt the moment she re-entered his kingdom like an electric shock. He could no longer resist the chance to see her and cautiously angled closer to the window so that he could watch her as she approached the dwarf.

"Everyone should get a chance to know their own mother," Sarah said softly, bending down so that she was the same height as her dwarf friend. "I will help you on your quest."

"You – you will?" Hoggle asked incredulously.

"Of course I will," Sarah said catching him in a hug. Hoggle was too surprised to resist her embrace. "Of course we will! Right, guys?" she asked, looking back at Sir Didymus and Ludo.

"How could we not!" Didymus cheered.

"Ludo quest!" Ludo called out. And then they were all celebrating the idea of a new adventure.

Outside on the tree branch Jareth was nearly apoplectic with rage. The quest was foolish and doomed to failure since none of them could even leave the Underground, but it could still be dangerous. They had no idea what they were meddling with. And having to see Sarah embrace all those beasts while he watched from the cold alone didn't help matters one bit.

Inside the cottage the group was finally calming down. "So," Sarah asked, "how do we get to the Dwarf Kingdom anyway?"

"An excellent question, my Lady, since we cannot!" Sir Didymus stated nonsensically.

"What?" Sarah asked, perplexed.

"You see, we are citizens of the Labyrinth, which is in the Underground, as you well know, my Lady!" Didymus continued. "The Underground is a vast kingdom in and of itself, of which the Goblin Kingdom is only one part. But we do not have the power to go to the other kingdoms without help, just like we would not have the power to visit the Aboveground, nor you the Underground, without this portal."

"I know how to fix that," Hoggle said somewhat smugly.

"You do?" Sarah and Didymus exclaimed, surprised.

"Yep," Hoggle said, pleased with their reaction. "Sarah just has to wish for us to be able to leave the Underground."

Outside Jareth sat up straight in horror. Unfortunately, the little scab was right. On that fateful day so many years ago he had granted Sarah certain powers, and her victory had only increased those powers. If she wished for herself and her friends to leave the Underground, the Labyrinth itself would grant her wish.

"I can do that?" Sarah asked in surprised.

Didymus felt a bit uneasy, but replied "Yes, my Lady. As the Champion, your powers should permit you to make such a request and have it granted."

Sarah felt overwhelmed. She didn't realize that her victory had done anything but win Toby back.

"But," continued Didymus, "that still would not get us to the Dwarf Kingdom. It is its own sovereign land, and we cannot just wish ourselves inside. We would just be outside the Underground in the Open Lands."

"Well, that's where the quest part comes in," Hoggle said, raising his hands in exasperation.

"I guess that's that then," Sarah said matter-of-factly. "I said I would help Hoggle, and I'm going to do it." _What's said is said._

"Ludo help," Ludo agreed.

And even though Didymus still felt uneasy, there was no way he was missing out on a real quest. "And I!" he chimed in proudly.

"Well then!" Hoggle beamed. "We have a lot to discuss."

The friends continued talking for another hour, until exhaustion finally overcame the group. Sarah returned to her bedroom through the mirror as they all agreed to meet again in two weeks to discuss the plan further.

Jareth launched himself into the air just as Didymus and Ludo exited the cottage. Again, no one noticed the owl. He had much to plan as well.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Keep those reviews coming! I only had time to get a short chapter done so far this week, but I am working on this whenever I can!

The Goblin King sat on his throne in the midst of a throng of wild, noisy goblins. All around him songs were being sung, chickens were being chased, and ale was being drunk. But Jareth stared off into space with his chin cupped in his hands. Green eyes. Jareth was trying to focus but all he kept seeing were green, sparkling eyes.

It had been hard to see her in his kingdom again, so vibrant, so happy, but totally unaware of his presence. It had been harder still to remain in his owl form, silent, watching her be drawn into a scheme that he knew was doomed from the beginning. Oh, why had she agreed?

Jareth groaned and rubbed his temples with his black-gloved fingers. It was simple. If he had just closed the portal, Sarah would never have gotten sucked into this foolishness. He had left it open for two reasons. The first ( _how weak he was_ ) was that he knew she would wish it. He had heard her words on the night of her victory, and knew that she wanted her Labyrinth friends to be a part of her life. The second reason was even harder to admit. He had left the portal open because someday, just maybe, Sarah might call to him. He knew that was never likely to happen, but what did he have to lose? He had forever to wait, after all.

And now she had made a promise. A promise to that little scab to help him. Damn it all! Even he could not undo that. But getting involved in this "quest" could be dangerous. In the Aboveground, Sarah would have been safe.

"In the Aboveground…." he mused to himself. All at once Jareth sat straight up in his throne. " _In the Aboveground, I would have to be content with seeing her from afar, in the park, or through her window. But if she chooses to come to the Underground, or to the Open Lands…?_ " He suddenly smiled broadly.

"Didymus!" Jareth roared. The goblins nearest to the throne jumped and scattered in surprise, but as soon as they realized the roar was not directed at them they resettled to watch the newest development curiously.

"Kingy mad," one observed to his friends.

"No songs today," another one said sadly.

"No songs for a long time," grumbled another.

"But King smiles?" wondered a final goblin.

The goblins were interrupted by a dashing little fox as he tumbled into the throne room. Didymus skidded to a halt in front of the throne.

"You called, your Majesty?" Didymus asked with all the dignity he normally commanded, even as his hat sat askew on his head and the jaunty feather tipped over one eye.

Jareth cocked one eyebrow and shook his head slightly. "Yes. Yes I did. We have things to discuss." Rising to his full height, Jareth announced, "Everyone else, out – NOW!"

The goblins all made disappointed noises, but obediently fled the room – all except for two small goblins, who crouched low behind the throne and peeked their little heads out around the side to see what was so interesting that the King had dismissed them all.

That same evening Hoggle was busy peering at an old map and mending a hole in a torn pair of trousers. He was humming and muttering to himself when he suddenly had the feeling he was being watched.

There was a shadow in the doorway. Hoggle felt his presence before he saw him standing there and trembled.

"Hoggle."

"Oh! Your Majesty! Er…what are you doing here at this time of night?" Hoggle stammered.

"I know what you plan to do."

Hoggle backed away slowly. He fought the urge to turn and run out of his own home."Why, uh, what do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"Hoggle." The warning in Jareth's baritone stopped him dead in his tracks. "I don't have time for games tonight."

Hoggle swallowed hard and replied uncertainly, "Yes?"

"When you see her again, give her this."

Hoggle was reminded once again of the ill-fated peach and felt an unlikely surge of courage. "I ain't givin' her anything from you again, Jareth!" he said with as much determination as he could muster.

Jareth grabbed Hoggle roughly by the shoulder and leaned down, pulling Hoggle so close that he could see the tips of Jareth's pointed teeth.

"Listen to me, Hogbrain." Jareth's voice was seething. "You will give her this because it is for _her_ protection. If you are pulling her into this ridiculous scheme of yours against my wishes, she will need it."

Hoggle hesitated. To his surprise, Jareth sounded sincere. He thought of the rumors that had been floating around the Goblin Kingdom for months now – how Jareth moped around the Castle, how he stared into crystal balls for hours - how " _the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl."_

"Why not ask Didymus to give it to her then," Hoggle said weakly.

"Because," Jareth growled, "I am commanding you to do it." He released Hoggle and pushed him away as he stood back to his full height. "And because," he said more softly, "I know you have planned to speak with her this evening, and I need her to have it tonight."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Okay readers, it's been a little while so I wanted to post something for you! But...this is just the first half of this planned chapter! We've had company in town this week and we just found out that we are having a baby girl! So things have been a little busy, but I promise to keep writing this story. Please review! :)**

The day had finally come – Sarah's sixteenth birthday. To Sarah's delight, her family had not only remembered but had gone out of their way to make the day special for her, from a lunchtime picnic in the park to a trip to her favorite bookstore, to dinner at the local pizza parlour that they had enjoyed together for the first time just a few week ago. Toby had made her a special picture using his handprints, and Robert and Karen had given her a set of watercolor paints and paper. Finally, they had enjoyed a huge ice cream cake made with chocolate cake, hot fudge, and mint ice cream – Sarah's favorite since childhood. Now Sarah was curled up in the living room with Merlin's head in her lap while Karen kept an eye on Toby, who was still happily playing with his cake, and Robert read the paper. She and her father sat in companionable silence, and Sarah couldn't believe then how happy she felt.

"Oh Sarah – there's just one more thing," Karen suddenly. "I almost forgot." Standing on her tiptoes to reach on top of the highest kitchen cabinet, Karen brought down a small gift box and extended it out to Sarah.

With a shy smile, Sarah took the little package. She hadn't been expecting another gift. The box was neatly wrapped with lavender paper and tied with a perfect white bow. Sarah carefully peeled away the tape to reveal a little velvety silver case.

"Open it," Karen encouraged. Behind her, Robert raised his eyebrows at the unexpected excitement in her tone, but said nothing.

Sarah carefully opened the case. Inside, on a delicate silver chain, was a charm in the shape of an owl in flight, its silver wings outstretched. Sarah gasped, her eyes locked on the necklace, as the memories of her dreams flashed in her mind.

"Do you like it?" Karen asked in a rush. "I just saw it the other day and bought it almost on impulse – it just reminded me of you."

"It's perfect," Sarah said sincerely. She carefully picked the necklace up and fastened it around her neck. "Thank you, Karen, and Dad, for everything," she said, quickly hugging first Robert – then, to everyone's surprise, Karen. Robert couldn't hide the look of shock on his face this time. Karen was smiling broadly over Sarah's shoulder and shrugged her shoulders almost imperceptibly at her husband.

Toby clapped his little hands and laughed, then flung his piece of cake on the floor.

"Uh-oh," he announced in a singsong voice. Merlin raced over to the cake faster than any of the Williams family thought was possible for the old sheepdog.

"Oh, Toby," Sarah laughed. "Well, Merlin will love you forever now." She and Karen both quickly stooped down to clean up the mess while Robert swung Toby up out of his high chair, tickling the toddler until he squealed with glee.

Later, after Toby was snug in bed, Sarah, Karen, and Robert rested in the living room, a cheery fire in the fireplace. Merlin was cozy next to Sarah's feet and the room felt safe and warm despite the snow outside. Sarah absentmindedly played with the owl necklace still around her throat as she read one of her new books. The silver wings of the owl glinted in the firelight.

"So you really do like it?" Karen asked, watching Sarah's fingers linger over the owl pendant.

"Yes, I really do," Sarah replied. "I didn't expect it, but I love it," she added. Karen beamed. Sarah found herself smiling back, almost shy in the new warmth of her stepmother's affection.

"I'm so glad," Karen sighed. "It can be hard to pick out jewelry for someone else, you never really know their likes, dislikes…but then I knew you liked owls," she said offhandedly.

Sarah was caught off guard. "How- how did you know that?" she stammered.

"You're always drawing them - on your schoolwork, the shopping lists. That purple notebook is covered in them," Karen said in a matter-of-fact tone. "So, I thought the necklace was a good guess. Besides, a young lady your age should have some pretty jewelry," Karen said with a satisfied smile.

Sarah was startled – startled that she really had been drawing owls that often, and even more startled that Karen had noticed. But she couldn't get that dream out of her head. For the past two weeks, she had dreamed it at least every other night, and every time the owl flew away before she could get too close.

"Y-yes, I guess I do like owls," Sarah said when she got over her initial surprise. "It was nice of you think of it." Behind the financial section of the newspaper, Robert smiled quietly. He couldn't believe how well they were getting along, but he wasn't going to question it.

"Well, it's a good thing then," Karen said. "I mean that one owl is always hanging around the house, I thought that might be what got you interested in them," Karen said offhandedly.

"What?" Sarah asked, shocked again. "You've seen an owl near the house?"

"Well yes, yes of course," Karen said, a little taken aback by Sarah's reaction. "The white barn owl. I see him all the time in the neighborhood – sometimes over in our old oak tree, sometimes in the park. I thought you must have noticed it."

Sarah felt a chill run up and down her spine and her heartbeat start to race. How had she never put it together before?

"No, you're right…I did notice it. When I would go down to the park after school to – to practice my lines, and play around with Merlin – I would see it sometimes, perched in a tree, or over by the bridge," Sarah said slowly. "I just forgot until now."

"How strange," Robert said. "I thought they only came out at nighttime."

"Yes," Sarah said. "Very strange." She shut her book – there was no way she could concentrate on it now – and stood up from her comfortable chair.

"Well, I guess I'll head upstairs," Sarah said. "Thanks again for all you guys did for my birthday. It was really great." With one last smile, she was up the stairs and halfway to her bedroom before they could even say goodnight. She hoped they couldn't hear her heart pounding. She'd never be able to explain why she was getting so worked up over a bird.

For the second time that day, Karen and Robert looked at each other and shrugged.

"What was that all about?" Karen wondered.

"She's still a teenager, Karen. We can't figure it all out," Robert said sensibly. "Anyway, there was definitely progress," Robert said encouragingly, squeezing Karen's hand.

"Yes…progress." Karen agreed, returning to her magazine with a hopeful smile on her face.

Upstairs, Sarah quickly shut the door behind her and settled down in the chair in front of her vanity. She touched the owl pendant on her throat with hesitant fingers. Her skin had warmed it and it felt smooth to the touch except for the tiny crystals that formed the owl's eyes.

Could the owl in the park and outside her home have been – him? All these years?

She wanted to fall asleep to see if the dream would come again, but she was far too excited to rest. Besides, she thought, checking the time on her little bedside clock, she had another appointment. Hoggle was supposed to call her any minute. They had been meeting regularly to discuss the quest since he had first asked her to be involved a few weeks ago, but there were still some things they couldn't figure out – like how Sarah could get away from school and her family without raising suspicion. So far that had been a major stumbling block for their plan.

"Sarah? Are you there?" came a whisper through the mirror, startling Sarah from her thoughts.

"Yes Hoggle, I'm here! Just a second!" Sarah felt a little guilty about the deception, but she quickly turned off her bedroom light, wanting her family to think she had gone to bed. It seemed safer to talk at Hoggle's cottage now that they knew she could visit the Labyrinth freely. Sarah slipped quickly and easily through the mirror and stepped down onto the little yellow stool under the mirror on Hoggle's wall that he had placed there specifically for her use. To her surprise, Ludo extended a great shaggy paw to help her down.

"Ludo!" she cried happily. "I didn't know you were coming!" Then she looked up and her mouth made a round "O" in shock.

"SURPRISE!" yelled a dozen different creatures. Sarah nearly fell off her stool.

 **Who do you think will show up at Sarah's surprise party in the next chapter? :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I have a special treat for my readers today - two chapters! Chapter 13 will be posted in just a minute and may feature a certain character you all have been wanting more of! Please leave me your feedback! And thank you to all of you who congratulated me on our baby girl! I am nearly six months along and we are both doing well. :)**

 _Back at Hoggle's cottage, Sarah's surprise party..._

"SURPRISE!" yelled a dozen different creatures. Sarah nearly fell off her stool. She managed to recover and neatly hopped down, pushing her dark hair back from her face.

There were Fireys gleefully dancing around and waggling their brightly colored tails. Tiny pixies flitted around spreading glitter through the air, and a group of brownies appeared to be playing tug-of-war with some filmy scarves even as they hung them up as a colorful garland. Mr. and Mrs. Worm watched the festivities from a safe alcove in the kitchen. Even a few goblins had snuck in – Sarah recognized the little one that was particularly fond of her sock drawer. Of course, Ludo was there smiling happily, and Sir Didymus was astride Ambrosius cheering louder than anyone else. Finally, Hoggle stood bashfully to one side with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Were you surprised, Sarah?" he asked hopefully.

Sarah couldn't believe it. After the wonderful day she'd had with her family, to have her first surprise party ever thrown by her very favorite fairy-tale friends was almost too much good fortune for the formerly lonely girl to accept. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and tried to dash them away without any of her friends noticing – to no avail.

"SAWAH CRYING?" Ludo bellowed.

"Why fair maiden!" Didymus exclaimed. "What has upset you?"

"Nothing, no, I'm not upset!" Sarah cried. "I'm just so – so happy! You're all so wonderful, I just can't believe it!" To prove it to them she gathered them all in a great big hug.

"Phew, well that's a relief," Hoggle muttered, but he was still smiling.

Sarah forgot how tired she was as she danced and celebrated with her friends. They had even made a lovely lopsided cake covered with great globs of vanilla icing. Even though she had already enjoyed a generous slice of Karen's ice cream cake that night, Sarah had no problem sharing another piece of the homemade cake with her friends. Sarah laughed and sang with the brownies and the little goblins, even though she was still a little wary of the Fireys. She fervently promised Mr. and Mrs. Worm that she would eventually join them for that long-awaited tea. Ludo gave her a perfectly smooth orange rock and Didymus gave her a bunch of yellow daisies. Everyone had a perfectly wonderful time.

Finally, when every crumb was gone and Hoggle's tidy cottage was in a shambles, Sarah and Hoggle sat contentedly by the fire on the soft woolen rug. The sleepiness was finally catching up to Sarah and her eyelids felt heavy, but she didn't want to leave.

"Hoggle, I can't thank you enough for tonight," she said, smiling widely. "I never guessed what you had in mind."

"'Twern't nothin'," Hoggle protested. "Good excuse to eat cake is all," he said, but his smile gave him away.

Sarah raised one eyebrow at him and smiled back. "I hate to leave you with this mess. I'll come back tomorrow to help you clean it up. Besides, we need to talk about the quest!"

"That we do," Hoggle sighed. Even though it was his idea, Hoggle had started to dread the adventure after Jareth's visit to his cottage. He had managed to forget about it for the whole evening, but now he remembered Jareth's gift.

"Well, I had better get home," Sarah said, slowly getting to her feet and stretching. "It's so late!"

"Uh, wait just one minute, Sarah," Hoggle said reluctantly. "There's just one more thing."

Hoggle's words were so like the ones Karen had spoken to her earlier in the evening that they were like an echo in Sarah's ears. She couldn't help the feeling that the night was repeating itself – which it might well be, she thought ruefully, in a land where the King could re-order time. Without thinking she raised her hand to the owl necklace around her neck where it had been hidden under her collar all evening.

Hoggle, always interested in jewelry, noticed her movement. "What's that?" he asked quickly.

"Oh, it's nothing," Sarah replied, hastily tucking the necklace back under her collar. She couldn't explain why, but she didn't want to show it to Hoggle – at least not yet. "I mean – it's just a little gift. From Karen, actually," she clarified. Hoggle gave her a suspicious glance, but he didn't press the issue. He was too distracted by his own internal conflict about giving Sarah another gift from Jareth. Hoggle never believed anything the Goblin King said, but somehow when Jareth had told him that the gift was for Sarah's protection Hoggle just knew it was the truth.

"Anyway, like I said, just one more thing," Hoggle said, a little awkwardly. He walked over to the mantel and carefully pulled down a slim white box. Hesitating, he looked down at it for a moment with his back turned to Sarah.

" _Oh please, let me do the right thing this time_ ," he thought fervently.

He turned slowly and handed it to her. "Er…happy birthday, Sarah."

Her curiosity piqued, she took the box from him and opened it slowly. Inside was a pure white feather. Sarah removed it from the box and gently ran her finger up and down the edge. It seemed to shimmer in the firelight as she touched it. She watched it for a moment, fascinated. Hoggle twisted his hands together and watched Sarah's face instead. He noticed when she furrowed her brows in confusion for a moment. She suddenly snapped out of her reverie and gave him a questioning look. He didn't say anything.

"Thank you, Hoggle," she finally said. "It's very beautiful." Sarah carefully put the feather back in the box and gathered the rest of her things. She bit her lower lip as she slid the slim white box inside her bag with her other gifts. She and Hoggle stood together awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, if I don't get home soon, I'll sleep like a rock tomorrow and Karen and Dad might get suspicious," Sarah finally said. "Thanks again for the wonderful party…and my present." Sarah gave Hoggle a final quick squeeze and stepped on the stool to climb back through the mirror. Just as she reached into her room, she heard Hoggle say, "Wait!"

She turned around slowly almost as though she guessed what he was going to say. "What is it, Hoggle?" she asked quietly.

"That feather – it ain't from me, exactly," Hoggle said sheepishly. "It's – it's from him."

"I thought you might say that," Sarah admitted softly.

"But you were going to take it anyway," Hoggle asked, confused.

"You gave it to me. I trust you," Sarah said simply.

"Even after what I done before?" Hoggle asked sadly.

"I've told you, I forgave you for that. We're friends." Sarah replied. "But I wish you would tell me why you agreed to give it to me."

Hoggle blushed. "Look, you know Jareth and I ain't on good terms," Hoggle said, a bit defensively. "But he came by here earlier and told me he knows about our plans. About the quest."

"Oh no!" Sarah cried, dismayed. She thought that surely Jareth would try to stop them.

"He said it was foolish, but that if you were going to come with me that he wanted me to give you the feather. Said it was for your own protection. For some reason, Sarah, I don't know why, but I believed him. And he said you had to have it tonight."

"Tonight?" Sarah asked quizzically. "And why do I need protection?"

"I don't know, Sarah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth to begin with," Hoggle said, ashamed.

"It's alright, Hoggle," Sarah said gently. "You've done so much for me, especially tonight. I'm not mad at you. But we're friends, and friends have to trust each other. Next time just tell me, okay?"

"I will, Sarah," Hoggle said sincerely. "What are you going to do?"

Sarah looked at the box gingerly. "Take it home, I suppose, and put it away. It doesn't make any sense right now, but if you think he was telling the truth, well, maybe he was. I guess stranger things could happen, especially in the Labyrinth."

"Well, be careful," Hoggle replied.

"I will," Sarah said, smiling at him. "Now I really am going. I'll call you some time this weekend."

"Goodnight, Sarah," Hoggle said. "And happy birthday!"

"Goodnight!" Sarah called back as she slipped through the mirror. She climbed carefully down from her vanity and kicked her shoes off. She meant to change into her pajamas and put away her things, but when she saw the bed she was suddenly overcome by her tiredness. She dropped the bag beside the bed and sank down gratefully into the soft covers. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I can't wait to read what you all think of this chapter! It was hard to get the dialogue right, but I did my best. Please leave your comments below!**

Sarah was dreaming.

She was there, alone in the park with the crown of flowers on her head. The same dream that she had from time to time for many months. But this time, she remembered what would happen as soon as she saw the silvery moon in the night sky.

Sarah swiftly raised her head to try to find that pale glint once more. Before long, the white owl was gliding through the starry sky toward her. He settled down on his familiar perch in the oak tree and gazed at her silently.

"You're him, aren't you?" she asked, her clear voice ringing out in the quiet of the park. "You're the Goblin King."

The owl made no response. The quiet returned until Sarah could no longer bear it.

Sarah looked down slowly. Cradled in her hands was the pure white feather that Hoggle had given her. She tentatively slid her hand down her throat and felt the weight of the owl pendant hanging there. Her eyes grew wide and she suddenly knew her right words.

"No, that's not right. You -you're Jareth, aren't you?" Sarah said slowly as she looked up at him. She stood up straight and said firmly, "I wish to speak with Jareth."

All at once the wind whipped around her and the owl leapt down from his perch. Before he could reach the ground there was a white glow like a burst of power. The next moment Jareth himself stood before her in a gleaming white feathered cape. Every feather was just like the one she held in her hands, shimmering faintly in the moonlight. He cocked his head to one side and gave her a slightly crooked smile.

"At your service," he said smoothly.

Jareth expected her to have the feather since he was sure Hoggle had just given it to her, but he was pleased beyond measure to see the owl necklace at her throat. He had placed it in Karen's path weeks before and it had only taken a slight prompt from him for her to notice it and select it for her stepdaughter. Wearing his symbol around her neck would provide Sarah with even greater protection and would deter…others…from becoming too _interested_ in her. Of course, he didn't plan to tell Sarah any of that.

"Why are you here?" she asked immediately.

"I enjoy this park," Jareth answered simply. "Something, I believe, that we have in common."

Sarah folded her arms across her chest. "No, I mean why are _you_ _here_. In my dream. Why do I _keep_ seeing you here?"

"It's a pleasure to see you again as well, Sarah," Jareth replied coolly.

Sarah sighed in frustration. How did he get under her skin so easily, even in her own dream? Maybe she was being rude, though.

"Okay fine, I'm starting over. Hello Jareth," Sarah said as calmly as she could manage.

"Why, hello Sarah," Jareth said playfully, as if he had just noticed her.

"Why did you come here to talk to me tonight?" Sarah tried again.

"I believe you wished for me to talk to you only a moment ago," Jareth answered with an incongruously innocent expression. This was fun.

"No, I mean – arrgh!" Sarah cried. She took a deep breath. Jareth waited, watching her with twinkling eyes.

"Jareth. Why have I been seeing you as an owl, in my dreams, in this park, for the past few months?" Sarah asked carefully.

"Ah," Jareth replied. "Simply put, you see me here because you call me here. You have been calling me into your dreams."

"I've been doing what?" Sarah asked, bewildered. "I don't even know what that means!"

"Since the last time we spoke," ( _Jareth cringed a bit internally at the memory_ ), "surely you have noticed that you have certain – _unusual_ abilities."

"Abilities?" Sarah asked, thoroughly confused.

"Abilities, yes. Certain powers," Jareth answered. "You see goblins in your sock drawers and fairies on your way to school. You have regular meetings with a talking fox and a furry monster. You even," Jareth said slyly, "slip through mirrors into realms where you have not been invited."

Sarah blushed. She _thought_ somehow her visits to the Labyrinth had been kept secret, but now she realized he had known all along.

"So you know about my visits," Sarah said in as brave a voice as she could muster.

"I am the King. I know whenever someone crosses my borders," Jareth replied proudly.

"You could have just stopped me then," Sarah said pointedly.

"I did not choose to. You were given certain powers and you earned more of them. I have not chosen to take those from you," Jareth stated, wiping imaginary dust from his immaculate cape.

Sarah thought about what he said and took another deep breath. "I don't understand," Sarah she admitted, deciding to choose honesty instead of trying to keep up with Jareth.

Jareth tilted his head to the side and regarded her. He approved.

"You, Sarah, have certain powers. You know this from the story itself. Dream calling is another power that you have earned," he replied. "You know that you can speak with your friends through the mirror and that you can also use the mirror to visit them. That is because I _chose_ to open a portal for your use. However, after your victory, the Labyrinth decided to give you the gift to call on her inhabitants through your dreams, to summon them to you, no matter where you are."

"But I…I didn't call you. Not before tonight, I mean," Sarah asked. Her brow was furrowed as she tried to absorb what Jareth was saying.

"Perhaps not consciously," Jareth replied. He dared to take a step closer to Sarah, never breaking eye contact. "But call me you have, for weeks and weeks."

Sarah felt her pulse quicken. "I'm sorry," she muttered. She didn't really know what else to say. "I mean, if it was… inconvenient."

Encouraged by her apology, Jareth took one more step toward Sarah. "It was only inconvenient that I couldn't talk to you even though you kept calling," Jareth said. "You only summoned me as an owl. You never asked for me by name, not until tonight."

"I didn't know what I was doing," Sarah replied. "I thought it was just a dream."

"I deal in dreams," Jareth said quickly. "This is not 'just a dream', as you say. It is deliberate, at least on some level."

"Why would you even come when I called?" Sarah blurted out. "I thought…I guess I thought you wouldn't want to see me," she said awkwardly.

Jareth did not reply right away. When he did he chose his words carefully.

"What I wanted was not necessarily a factor," he said. "You are the Champion of my Labyrinth. You summoned me, so I came."

That wasn't very revealing. Sarah felt like she was at a distinct disadvantage in this situation since Jareth obviously knew so much more than she did about what was happening. She realized she was gently stroking the side of the feather in her hands without realizing it.

"Hoggle told me you gave him this and made him give it to me. That you said it was for my protection," Sarah said, holding it up to show him. He regarded it for a moment and then looked back at Sarah.

"Yes. What the dwarf has said is true," he replied simply.

"How can a feather protect me?" Sarah asked. "And what do I need protection from?"

"Did he tell you that I asked him to give it to you tonight?" Jareth said, choosing to answer her question with another question.

"Yes," Sarah confirmed. "But why tonight?" _So many questions_ , Sarah thought.

"It is your birthday, is it not?" Jareth asked casually.

Sarah was surprised yet again. "Yes, it is."

"Then it is a birthday gift," Jareth replied.

Sarah felt like she was becoming more confused instead of less with each answer Jareth gave. "I thought you only gave out crystals," she murmured.

Jareth stiffened a bit. "I thought I would try something new," he said coldly, "since the gifts I offered you previously were apparently unacceptable."

Sarah blushed a deep crimson. Her obvious discomfort pleased Jareth, who still keenly felt the sting to his pride.

"Then if I keep this, what will it do to me?" Sarah asked, getting a bit of her presence back.

"Do?" Jareth asked. "It will _do_ nothing. It is simply a token. However," he said, leaning a bit closer, "I wish for you to take it with you if you insist on pursuing this ridiculous quest with the dwarf."

"I have to go. I promised Hoggle that I would," Sarah answered stubbornly.

"It was a foolish promise," Jareth said sharply. "But as you well know, _what's said is said_. " Sarah felt a shiver run down her spine. "You have chosen a difficult path. So, should there ever be a time when you are in danger, you must break the feather."

"Break it?" Sarah asked, surprised once again.

"Yes," Jareth replied. "Snap it in half."

Sarah suddenly felt overwhelmed by the strangeness of it all. She didn't know if she would ever see Jareth again, and now they had been talking in a park, in her dream, for who knows how long, and talking about her magical powers she didn't even know she had. All at once, the air around her began to shimmer and the park began to blink in and out. Sarah felt a rush of blood to her head almost as if she was about to faint.

"Sarah," she heard Jareth saying urgently, though she could no longer see his face clearly as her vision blurred in and out. "The feather, do you understand?"

"Yes," she said weakly. "I understand. Break it. What's happening?"

"You're waking up," he said roughly. "I must go."

Everything was spinning. Sarah cried out, "Will I see you again?" just as her vision went dark.

Sarah sat straight up in bed, disoriented. She was still in her clothes from the day before, and the white feather was still clutched in her hands. It was morning.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Thanks again for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I know it has been a while since my last update, but now I have the next four chapters outlined and plotted, including a special SONG in an upcoming chapter! Please let me know what you think! Oh, and a special shoutout to the poster who noticed that Sarah and Jareth finally met in the thirteenth chapter! I just couldn't resist! :)**

Sarah absentmindedly ran her fingers through her hair during her ride home from school on the bus, looking out the window with a faraway gaze in her eyes. She almost always sat by herself, but today she was even quieter than normal, seemingly totally unaware of the yelling, teasing, and flirting of the young high school students going on all around her. There was a distinct chill in the air outside, even in the late afternoon, and the leaves on all the trees they passed were turning shades of red, gold, and orange.

Ever since her abrupt awakening that morning, Sarah had felt distracted and uneasy. She couldn't stop thinking about her unusual dream and the even more unusual conversation that had taken place. Had it even been real? Yes, she had woken up with the white feather in her hands, but Hoggle had given that to her before she fell asleep. She didn't feel like she could be sure she had actually talked to the Goblin King – to Jareth. None of it made any sense to Sarah. Why would he even want to see her, want to help her? And – she remembered with embarrassment – why, oh why, would she ask him if she would see him again?

The bus pulled to a stop on her block and Sarah gratefully jumped out, her hair swinging behind her as she jogged down the street to the white Victorian house. She used her key to open the front door, and happily petted Merlin when he raced over to greet her, but she skipped her usual snack in the kitchen and ran straight upstairs. As had become her habit, she peeked into Toby's room first, just to make sure he was okay. He was, of course, sitting on the floor with Karen and playing with blocks, his bright hair now starting to curl at the ends. Sarah tried to back away from the doorway quietly so she could get a minute to herself in her room, but of course Karen heard her.

"Sarah, is that you?" Karen called.

"SAWAH!" Toby yelled in joy, deserting his blocks to make a run for the hallway.

Sarah winced as her plan to get a quiet moment alone was foiled, but her smile became genuine as the little toddler threw himself at her leg.

"Hey there buddy," Sarah said, returning Toby's hug.

"How was your day, Sarah?" Karen asked, getting up from the floor to face her. She rose gracefully, her hands dusting away any specks and straightening the creases on her long skirt. Sarah envied the way Karen always looked neat and put-together. It wasn't a talent Sarah had developed.

"It was okay," Sarah said, a little evasively.

"I didn't hear you downstairs," Karen replied. "Then again, Toby was building towers out of his blocks and then knocking them all down," she said, a slightly chagrined look on her face.

"CRASH!" Toby yelled gleefully, running back to the blocks. Sarah and Karen exchanged a look of amused tolerance for his antics.

"Did you have your snack?" Karen asked.

"I'm not feeling very hungry today," Sarah replied. She felt tired and didn't want to answer any more questions, even though she knew now that Karen meant well. "Actually, I think I'm just going to go to my room for a while."

"Sawah come pway?" Toby asked plaintively, holding a block in each little hand out to her.

"Maybe in a little while, buddy," Sarah said, smiling. Toby looked crestfallen for a moment, but quickly recovered as he built yet another tower.

"Are you feeling okay, Sarah?" Karen asked cautiously. She noticed the dark circles under Sarah's eyes with some concern, but didn't say anything.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Sarah answered, faking a smile. "I'm just kind of tired. And lots of homework, you know."

Karen could tell she wasn't getting the whole story, but decided not to pry – for now. "Well okay. Why don't you rest in your room, and we'll let you know when dinner is ready in a couple of hours. That way you can get a head start on your homework and get into bed early tonight."

"Thanks," Sarah replied, a little tersely, and headed for her room. Tired as she was, Sarah wondered if she would even be able to sleep with last night's dream so troubling her mind.

Karen watched her go with concern. Something was definitely bothering Sarah, and Karen had hoped that with their burgeoning rapport Sarah might actually confide in her. Karen frowned. They were doing so much better, but they still weren't really close. Sarah kept so much to herself.

"Pway, Mama?" Toby asked, tugging gently on her skirt. Karen smiled and settled herself back down on the floor with Toby. At least she had one child whose needs she could meet – for now.

Finally in the peace and quiet of her room, Sarah shut the door behind her and flopped gratefully down onto the bed. She lay there for a moment, thinking, and then, with a furtive look at the door, carefully, reached under her pillow to retrieve the box Hoggle had given her. She opened it and gently removed the pure white feather, stroking it gently with a fingertip.

Suddenly a glint of something on her vanity caught her eye. Still carefully holding the feather in one hand, she stood and walked over to the mirror. There on the surface of the dresser was an envelope made of parchment paper. The gilded edges of the envelope were what had caught her eye as they sparkled in the light from the sun starting to ease down in the sky outside her window. The envelope was addressed with perfect calligraphy in black ink to "Miss Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth."

Intrigued, Sarah carefully put away the feather and tucked the box back under her pillow. The envelope felt smooth, but very heavy and solid in her hand as she picked it up from the dresser – very real. She flipped the envelope over and ran a fingertip over the seal on the back – black wax stamped with an owl. Sarah shivered a little and carefully released the seal from the paper. Inside was another sheet of parchment, also gilded on the edges and neatly folded in half twice. Biting her lip, Sarah slid the sheet out of the envelope and unfolded it, sliding into her chair to read the note.

" _My dear Sarah_ ," the note began:

 _You no doubt have many questions after the abrupt ending to our meeting last night. Please accept my apology that I could not provide a more complete explanation._

 _The fact of the matter is that you are, with my resignation, about to attempt a perilous journey through unfamiliar lands. Though I know you have no reason to do so, you must trust me when I ask you to call upon me for help if you find yourself in a situation of danger. You are the Champion of my Labyrinth, and you will be traveling with Underground citizens who have claimed my protection. It is my duty to keep you from harm to the best of my extensive abilities. Break the feather, Sarah, and I will be there in but a breath._

 _One last thing - it has come to my attention that you, being a citizen of the Above, will not be able to join the quest without attracting undue attention from your family and assorted school officials, who would certainly notice your absence for the amount of time necessary to complete this foolish journey. Therefore, out of goodwill, I am willing to once again reorder time for you in order for your absence to go unnoticed. I am sure you have learned the power of your wishes and of using your right words. When you are ready to wish your little band out of the Goblin Kingdom, Sarah dear, say your right words once again, and the time will take care of itself._

 _Sincerely yours,_  
 _JARETH_

 _His Majesty, King of the Goblins_

 _Keeper of Dreams and High Prince of the Underground_

Sarah was shaking all over as she read and then re-read the note. There was no doubt now that her dream had been real, and that the Goblin King had turned into a strange ally. Even more, he had solved the last remaining obstacle to their quest with his offer to reorder time. Sarah's heart was beating fast and she felt her face flush as she recalled her final confrontation with Jareth in the Labyrinth, when he had told her he had reordered time just for her. She couldn't believe he was offering to do it again – or that he was calling her "dear" and asking her to trust him.

The news couldn't wait. Sarah quickly took the precaution of locking her bedroom door since it was only early evening, and raced back over to the mirror with the parchment in her hand.

"Hoggle!"


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: I think this is the longest chapter yet! The story is really about to get going, so I hope you are all excited! Thank you again for the follows, favorites, and your comments! I appreciate it more than you know!**

In the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, Jareth, King of the Goblins, was feeling very pleased with himself. _Exceedingly_ pleased with himself, in fact. For months he had tormented himself with thoughts of Sarah Williams. Now, after their dream encounter, he was sure the shoe was on the other foot.

Jareth was enjoying a rare moment alone in his private chambers, stretched out in an overstuffed, tufted red velvet armchair pulled in front of a roaring fireplace. Though there were many differences between the Underground and the Above, it was also nearly winter in the Goblin Kingdom, and Jareth could feel the fire warming his bones. He had been out flying in the cold, moonlit air, and he savored the luxury of the intense heat, flexing first one foot and then another inside his long, elegant leather boots. During his flight a plan had begun to form in his devious mind. He thought of Sarah; of her green eyes, and of her shining hair. He thought of the plaintive way she asked if she would see him again – and he threw his head back and laughed.

The note he had left her would all but guarantee that they would meet again soon – and it would be because she called for _him_. With the instructions he had given her, he had removed the final impediment to their little "quest," and in turn he perhaps he had earned a bit of her gratitude. He wouldn't appear when she wished them out of the Goblin Kingdom, but then, there was the feather…perhaps playing the hero wasn't so bad after all, he mused to himself. Little did Sarah and the rest of them know, of course, that the quest would barely begin before it would end. As enjoyable as this little game was, he couldn't permit them to actually continue the quest, since that could put Sarah in real danger.

It would be different, he thought with annoyance, if that dratted dwarf had just come to him instead of trying to do all this plotting behind his back. It's not like Hoggle was a _hostage_ in the Goblin Kingdom. Jareth's Kingdom attracted all sorts of flotsam and jetsam from throughout the Underground – misfits, runaways, outcasts. And, of course, the wished-aways.

Jareth frowned. Thinking about Hedgewart was ruining his mood and he wanted to hang on to the good feelings. Abruptly he rose from the armchair and grabbed up his cloak. It was sure to be colder in the throne room but there at least he would find something hot to drink and some company – such as was available in the Goblin Kingdom.

Moonlight was pouring in through Sarah's window as she rummaged around in the drawers of her vanity. She was trying to keep quiet, but she was in a hurry to get everything packed before midnight.

Earlier that evening, Sarah had told her family goodnight, and had blown an extra kiss to a sleeping Toby when she came up to her bedroom. When she turned back around to give both her father and Karen an extra hug, she saw the surprise on their faces, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't know when she would see them again, even though for them it would be like no time had passed at all.

Sarah was wearing long black leggings that she could move in easily with a green tunic shirt on top. She had a light jean jacket tied around her waist and sturdy leather moccasins on her feet. She only wanted to bring a light canvas bag – who knew how long they would be on their feet each day – but she wanted to be prepared too. She had some clean clothes, a little penknife, her favorite chapstick, and a supply of granola bars and apples (she didn't want to rely on any strange fruit this time to keep them from getting hungry). She reviewed a mental checklist, then grabbed her trusty purple flashlight and threw it in the bag as well.

Sarah glanced at the clock – 11:59. In just one minute, her life would totally change. Feeling excited, but a little overwhelmed, she flopped down on the bed to wait for Hoggle to appear in the mirror. Slowly, she sat back up and slid her hand gently under her pillow. She carefully removed the box and opened it to gaze at the snow white feather inside. She hesitated for just a moment, clutching the box in her hand.

"Sarah! It's time!" Hoggle was there in her mirror, beckoning to her.

Sarah quickly closed the box and slid it into her canvas bag. Suddenly, her excitement overcame her fears. She jumped to her feet with her eyes sparkling.

I'm ready," Sarah replied.

Jareth reclined gracefully in his throne, a bored expression on his face, lazily watching the antics of his subjects. His good mood had not been totally restored, but the hot mulled wine in the discarded mug next to the throne had helped. And he had thought some more about his plan. Jareth began to smirk a bit in anticipation. He glanced at the clock and saw that the hour had grown late. He would know as soon as Sarah made the wish. And now, after his long flight, and his time thinking in the throne room, he thought his plan was rather wonderful. His smirk grew a bit wider.

Timidly a little green goblin crept up to the throne and tugged gently on Jareth's shirtsleeve. Jareth cocked one eyebrow in idle curiosity as the goblin turned large purple eyes up to his monarch.

"Y-your Majesty?" the little goblin stammered timidly. His features were all goblin, but those purple eyes had a puppyish quality that even the tempestuous King could not quite resist.

"Eep, isn't it?" Jareth said casually. The little goblin nodded enthusiastically. "Well, then, what is it that you want, Eep?"

"Well, Your Highness…it's just that it's been a while since we've had song time," Eep said innocently. "Would you…would you sing for us again, King?" Suddenly a hundred pairs of goblin eyes turned toward the scene, with murmurs throughout the crowd of "Oh, sing!" and "Yes, dance please!"

Jareth scowled. It was true that there hadn't been much music for quite some time in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Somehow, having all of his hopes dashed had not made him feel much like singing and dancing. And yet…some new things had recently been set in motion. As the goblins continued to cheer, Jareth suddenly rose from his throne, ran his fingers through his wild platinum hair, and flipped his cloak back from his shoulders. Magically, an upbeat tune began to reverberate around the halls of the throne room.

"YEAAAAHY!" The cheer went up from a crowd of goblins as they all began to dance. Jareth towered above his subjects and opened his mouth to sing.

 _It's been a while_

 _Since we've had a song_

 _But I'm the King_

 _So sing along_

 _We had some bad days_

 _Some broken glass_

 _But I'm the King_

 _And I'm made to last!_

Jareth strutted across the throne room, singing exuberantly. The goblins began to catch onto the song and joined in excitedly.

 _In this kingdom_

 _I wear the crown_

 _Yeah he's the king! (the goblins sang)_

 _Can't keep me down_

 _I won't give up_

 _I'll never stop_

 _Yeah he's the king! (the goblins cheered)_

 _Always on top!_

A hundred goblins danced around the throne room, bouncing off walls, climbing up wall hangings, and swinging from light fixtures. Ale flowed freely from great barrels in the corners of the throne rooms into eager open mouths. Jareth danced through the middle of it all, his cloak floating behind him as he dipped and swayed.

 _Don't count me out_

 _'Cause in the end_

 _OH HE'S THE KING! (the goblins yelled)_

 _I always win!_

The goblins whistled, shouted, hooted, and hollered. They hadn't had this much fun in such a long time.

Jareth leapt onto his throne. "Alright, my fine fellows, you've had your song. Are you happy?"

"YEAAHHY!" the goblins all cheered again.

"Good! Now, I need you all to listen closely." Jareth beckoned to them as he lowered himself back onto the throne, sitting up straight and tall. The excited goblins clustered around the throne, elbowing each other and stepping on tails and toes in their eagerness to hear what their king had to say.

"Now you all know the Lady Sarah," Jareth began.

"YES!" the goblins chorused.

"Lady is nice," one goblin added.

"Has soft socks," another said.

"And tasty chapstick," one more piped in.

Jareth rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I'm sure she does," he replied. "As some of you know, the Lady Sarah has decided to set out on a very dangerous quest to the Dwarf Kingdom with the Hoggle, the rock-caller Ludo, and our own noble Sir Didymus."

This announcement provoked various gasps, yells, and cheers of both concern and excitement from the goblins. The two littlest goblins, Bumper and Stumps, who already knew about the quest, exchanged smug looks with one another.

"But the way to the Dwarf Kingdom is long!" exclaimed one goblin.

"Yes, and there are many scary places!" said another.

"And really there's almost no ale at all," said a third one dourly.

There were so many goblin comments that Jareth had to bellow to be heard over them.

"QUIET! Now, you all like the Lady Sarah, do you not?"

"YES!" yelled all the goblins in response.

"And you do not want her to be in danger, correct?"

"NO!" came another goblin cry.

"Then – here is our plan. Tomorrow evening, when the quest has neared the Whispering Woods, we will be giving them a little…surprise visit," Jareth grinned.

"I love surprises!" Eep exclaimed.

"And then, my goblins, you will do what you do best," Jareth exclaimed, reveling in his own plan.

"Drink ale?" one goblin asked.

"Chase chickens?" another asked, scratching his head.

"Sing songs?" a final goblin wondered.

"No, you fools," Jareth sighed in frustration. "You're going to scare them out of their wits! But it will be dark, and we will be hidden in the woods, and they won't know it is you! Then they will see how dangerous it can be to venture outside the Goblin Kingdom, and the Lady Sarah will call to me for help. Then, I will rescue them and bring them back here with me!" Jareth boomed out, raising his arms over his head.

"YEAAAAAHY!" the goblins cheered once again. So much excitement in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City tonight! They didn't all fully understand what was going on, but they understood that the King was happy, that they would get to play tricks, and that there was still music and ale and lots of fun going on that evening. The goblins did so love a chance to be scary.

Jareth grinned, enjoying the cheers of his unusual, but loyal subjects. He was sorry that Didymus wasn't among them tonight. In fact, it had been Didymus' suggestion that he could reorder time for Sarah to allow her to go on the quest, in fact. No one knew that but the two little goblins he had caught eavesdropping during their conversation, and he had a plan for them.

He really didn't like keeping things from Didymus, but the situation was what it was. Didymus was far too honorable to be able to fake a fight convincingly – not that he would ever _agree_ to even a little trickery to begin with. Jareth needed the goblins to be truly frightening so that Sarah would be convinced that her little ragtag group was actually in danger – that she actually _needed_ Jareth's help – or his plan would not work. And Jareth was in far too deep to give up now.

Suddenly, every goblin ear pricked up. Someone was about to make a wish.

"Bumper, Stumps, come here," Jareth said in excitement. The two little goblins raced up to the throne, eager to please the king.

"The Lady Sarah is about to make her wish to begin the quest," Jareth explained. "When she does, I will send you two through the portal also. You must follow them, and use this to call me when they get to the Whispering Woods." With a flick of his wrist, Jareth conjured a perfect crystal and handed it to Bumper. Bumper accepted it almost reverently.

"I will be watching as much as I can tomorrow, but I need to know I can count on you to make sure we will all be there at the right time for our little surprise. Are you my men?"

"Yes sir!" exclaimed Bumper and Stumps. They could hardly believe their good fortune, being selected by the King for a special job.

"Good!" Jareth replied. "Now, my fine fellows, listen…"

Sarah's voice suddenly echoed through the throne room. "I wish the Goblin King would create a portal to the Open Lands – right now!"


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: This past week on the site the statistics tracker has been down, so I couldn't see if I had new readers or if my loyal readers were still reading. That made me even more thankful for the new favorites/follows and reviews! They mean so much to me! I hope you are all still here and if you are new, welcome! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter - the next one is nearly written too so I hope to be able to continue the quest soon!**

The moment had finally arrived. As Sarah slipped through the mirror into Hoggle's cottage with her canvas bag, landing gracefully on her toes, she observed her companions in the quest. Sir Didymus, sitting atop his faithful steed Ambrosius, was barely able contain his excitement. Ludo, on the other hand, was as relaxed as ever. In fact, he was dozing in the comfy chair in the corner, softly snoring. Finally, Hoggle himself was there, twisting his hands together and pacing, a bundle of nerves. Sarah herself felt somewhere in between. She was looking forward to a new adventure and to spending time with her friends, but she felt oddly bereft to realize that it would probably be a long time before she saw Toby, or her father, or even Karen again.

"Well, I'm here everyone," Sarah said with a little smile. She slid one hand into her canvas bag and made sure the box with the white feather was safely tucked inside.

"Glad you are here, Sarah," Hoggle mumbled, looking down at his feet. Sarah gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

"Fair Lady Sarah, at last we are ready to set out! Do you remember your words?" Sir Didymus asked, clutching his little feathered hat in anticipation.

"I think so." Sarah took a deep breath as she prepared to say the words, but then she noticed Ludo fast asleep in the corner chair. "Um, someone should probably wake Ludo up," Sarah said, with a little giggle.

"Brother LUDO!" Didymus yelled. "It is time!" Didymus unabashedly poked the great beast with his staff.

Ludo woke with a startled grunt. "Huh?" he groaned. Then, blinking his great big eyes, surrounded by red fringe, he saw Sarah standing there with his brothers. "Oh. Hi Sawah," he said with a sweet smile.

Sarah stiffed another giggle. "Hi Ludo. Okay everyone, ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Hoggle muttered. It was his quest, but it was hard for him to leave his comfortable home in the Labyrinth, where he felt safe and secure and everything was familiar.

Sarah took a deep breath once again. "I wish the Goblin King would create a portal to the Open Lands – right now!"

Suddenly there was a dramatic burst of light inside Hoggle's cabin. Something like a hole began to appear out of thin air, stretching and glowing as it formed a circle. Rainbow lights seemed to pulse around the exterior of the circle until it finally stretched open wide enough for even Ludo to step through. A shower of silver sparkles covered them as the portal seemed to stabilize.

"Glitter everywhere. Of course," Hoggle snorted, dusting off his tunic.

Peering through the portal, Sarah could see green fields and blue sky on the other side. It was lovely, but it looked so ordinary after the sparkling display that she was almost surprised.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sir Didymus said. "Let's go!" Ambrosius looked wary, but he obeyed his master as they charged through the portal. From the other side they could hear Didymus calling to them "Come on, everyone!"

Ludo lumbered through next, his shaggy fur sparkling. Hoggle hesitated for a moment at the portal's edge, clutching a little pack.

"I'll be right behind you," Sarah said with a smile. Hoggle tentatively smiled back.

"Well, here we go," he said, jumping through.

"And…I wish that the Goblin King would reorder time, so that my family won't know that I am gone on this quest," Sarah added softly to herself as she stepped up to the portal. There was no spectacular display to indicate that this wish had been granted, but somehow Sarah felt like the King would keep his word. She didn't feel anything except a soft breeze on her face as she stepped through the shimmering gateway and onto the green fields of the Open Lands.

Though it had been just after midnight in the Labyrinth when they left, inexplicably the sun was now shining as though it were full noon, though the Labyrinth was just behind them in the distance. The green fields seemed to stretch for miles in front of them and all around them on each side, except when they looked back in the direction of the Labyrinth. They were already a great distance from the walls and it was hard to see any details other than the spires of the castle in the distance. A little chill ran down Sarah's spine - seeing the great maze and the Castle Beyond the Goblin City reminded her of that day when she had stood upon a rocky hill with the Goblin King, under a rust-red sky, and tried to figure out how she could possibly make it to Toby in time.

Today, however, the sky was blue, the way was clear, and she was surrounded by her friends. She resolutely stepped forward and tried to determine where their path started.

"Looks as though the King decided to start us out under the sun, my Lady," Didymus said, bowing gracefully to Sarah.

"Well then, let's not waste our daylight!" Sarah replied, smiling. "Which way do we go, Hoggle?" she asked.

Hobble fumbled with his pack for a moment, and then drew out a crumpled piece of parchment. "This is the best map I could find," he muttered. He unfolded the map and all of the companions peered over his shoulder to inspect it.

There wasn't much to it, Sarah saw with dismay. The map was old and crumbling in places, and there was hardly any writing at all. What there were instead were beautifully hand-drawn illustrations scattered all over the parchment, with no real identifying labels or other guidance.

"Hmm," Sarah mused, studying each little illustration. "Well, that one is definitely meant to be the Castle Beyond the Goblin City and the walls of the Labyrinth. " She was relieved to discover that they could at least figure out where they were starting from. Next to the Castle, Sarah saw an unusual symbol that she recognized as the same as the odd horned pendant that she had seen Jareth wear. She gently ran her finger across the parchment and furrowed her brows.

"But which one represents the Dwarf Kingdom, Brother Hoggle?" Sir Didymus asked.

Hoggle hesitated. "Well, I – I don't know for sure, I guess," he admitted grudgingly.

Sarah could see that he was embarrassed. "Look, we can figure it out," she said encouragingly. "We know it's east of here, right?"

Hoggle seized onto Sarah's encouragement gratefully. "Yes, yes, it has to be that way," he said, gesturing to the right of the map.

"Mountains near," Ludo chimed in.

"The Dwarf Kingdom is located near mountains?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, that's true too," Hoggle said. "I always heard that many of the dwarves actually live in the mountains, or under them."

"These seem to be mountains right here, do they not?" Didymus asked, gesturing to three steep peaks on the eastern part of the map.

"I think you're on to something," Sarah said, getting excited. "But what do all the other symbols mean?" she wondered out loud.

Between the symbol for the Labyrinth and the one indicating the mountains, there were all sorts of other pictures. It was easy to guess what some were meant to represent, like the collection of trees not far from the Labyrinth symbol. Others, like a single trident near what looked like water, were more cryptic.

"I think we have a bigger problem," Hoggle said forlornly. "Look at this!"

There appeared to be at least three different paths that would lead them from their starting point to the mountains. Since they couldn't tell what all the symbols meant, there didn't immediately appear to be any way to choose a path.

"Well, we have to pick one," Sarah said resolutely.

"I say we take the most direct path," Didymus said, gesturing to one that appeared to make almost a straight line on the parchment.

"That path sure does go by a lot of symbols," Sarah said, considering. "If only we knew what they meant!"

"I don't know, Didymus," Hoggle said nervously. "What about this one to the north instead?" Hoggle gestured to another clear path that seemed to lead them away from some of the more troubling marks, but also took them well out of the way.

"It is winter here, isn't it?" Sarah asked. "Maybe we should stick to this path in the south. I'm not sure we would be prepared if it snowed! Well, except Ludo, maybe." Sarah turned to her fuzzy friend and winked. "He has a built-in fur coat. I don't guess you know the way, do you Ludo?"

"No," Ludo said, shaking his head sadly. The other companions all looked rather glum as well, since the quest was getting off to such an inauspicious start.

Sarah sighed in frustration. "How can we even get started if we don't know which way to go?"

"We could show you, Lady," two little voices suddenly chorused.

"Aaack!" Sarah cried, spinning around. "Who are you?"

Standing beside the portal were two of the smallest goblins Sarah had seen. One had greyish skin with a rather lavender tone and a shock of white hair. The other was more greenish grey and had no hair at all, but had a funny little blue hat and very big brown eyes.

"I'm Bumper," said the green goblin.

"And I'm Stumps," said the lavender goblin.

"How did you get here?" Sarah asked.

"We heard Lady making her wish and got curious," Bumper replied.

"We wanted to go on the adventure too," Stumps confirmed.

"Jumped through sparkly portal!" Bumper exclaimed, getting more excited.

"Now wait just a minute here!" Hoggle exclaimed. "I don't want any goblin telling me where to go!"

"But you are looking at the map wrong," Stumps said innocently, gesturing to the parchment.

Hoggle snatched the map away and clutched it to his chest suspiciously, but Sarah put a cautioning hand on his shoulder.

"Stumps, do you know how to read this map?" Sarah asked carefully.

"Sure, is a goblin map," Stumps said matter-of-factly.

Sarah glanced at Didymus, who shrugged his little shoulders as if to say he was no wiser about goblin maps than she.

"Hoggle, show Stumps the map and let's see what he has to say," Sarah said slowly.

"Oh all right," Hoggle grumbled. "But don't get it all dirty!" he complained, unrolling it carefully and holding it out to the goblins.

Stumps carefully reached out one hand and tapped the symbol for the Labyrinth. It suddenly glowed golden like a light was shining through it. Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Pretty," said Ludo dreamily.

"You want to go to mountain lands, right Lady?" Bumper asked. Sarah nodded. Bumper tapped the mountain symbol and it also began to glow. Slowly, symbols between the Labyrinth and the mountains rearranged themselves on the page and some of them lit up with a green light.

"How did you do that?" Hoggle asked grudgingly.

Bumper shrugged noncommittally. "Goblin magic."

"The way can change, depending," Stumps added.

"Depending on what?" Didymus asked.

"Lots of things," Stumps said, rather unhelpfully.

"Do you know what the symbols mean?" Sarah asked.

"Some of them," Bumper replied. "Not all. Never been to far away places before."

Sarah looked back at the map. The closest green symbol was the little patch of trees that she had noticed earlier.

"Do you know what this one is?" she asked.

"Sure," Stumps replied. "Is the Whispering Wood. We can get there by dark time today if we leave now." Bumper nodded vigorously in agreement.

"What do you mean we?" Hoggle asked belligerently. "You aren't going anywhere with us!"

"But Brother Hoggle, we cannot follow the map without their assistance," Sir Didymus pointed out. "As they said, the way may change."

"That's right," Sarah agreed. "Look Hoggle, maybe we can just try it," she continued, turning to her friend. "We need to get started, and we have to find a safe place to camp tonight since this is the first night of the journey. It might be a good idea to stay near woods instead of just being out in the open."

"Yes, lots of scaries in the Open Lands," Bumper said with a little shiver.

"I don't like it," grumbled Hoggle. "But I don't sees as we got much of a choice."

Sarah turned to the little goblins. "Look guys, we're deciding to trust you right now, okay? But you have to promise to listen to us. You can't run off and just leave us stranded if you say you're going to help."

"Okay Lady!" the goblins chorused.

"We will listen," added Stumps.

"We can help," chimed in Bumper.

"Goblins friends?" Ludo asked.

"Yes, they're friends," Sarah said, smiling. " _At least for now_ ," she thought to herself.

"So we can be off?" Didymus asked eagerly.

"Lead the way, Stumps," Sarah said, gesturing to the little goblin. He beamed at her and pointed slightly to the right.

"This way!" he cried.

"Well, come on feet," Sarah said cheerfully to herself as the companions set out after him.

Back in the Castle, Jareth was gazing into a crystal and smiling.

"Well done, my goblins," he whispered smugly.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: is back and so am I with the longest chapter yet! There is some real action in this chapter - let me know what you think!**

For the rest of that day, a casual observer in the Open Lands would probably have been amused to see the little procession as the group traveled over the hills. There were the two little goblins out in front, followed closely by Sarah and Ludo. The goblins and Ludo amused Sarah by making a variety of silly faces as they traveled. The goblins also told Sarah all kinds of wild stories about living in the Goblin Kingdom, but she noticed they were careful not to say too much about their capricious King. Sir Didymus was just behind them on Ambrosius, valiantly trying to get everyone to play "I Spy," but there really wasn't all that much to see – just miles all around them of the green grassy hills and blue sky overhead. Hoggle brought up the rear, still feeling a bit grumbly that the goblins had been permitted to come along, but he made sure not to ever get too far behind the rest of the group. At various intervals they stopped to share Sarah's granola bars and apples or Hoggle's favorite little lemon teacakes that he had carefully wrapped up and placed in his pack.

Finally, just as the sun was starting to sink in the sky, Sir Didymus (who was quite far-sighted despite losing his sense of smell) spotted a thick copse of trees ahead.

"Aha! Ahead is our camp for the evening, my Lady," he called out to Sarah.

"That's the Whispering Wood?" Sarah asked Bumper and Stumps. They both nodded vigorously and excitedly.

"Yes Lady," Bumper said. "Good place for staying tonight."

"Has nice stream to refill water carriers, and tasty berries for picking, and soft moss for resting heads," Stumper added enthusiastically.

"A place to rest my head does sound pretty good right now," Sarah admitted.

"I'll say," Hoggle agreed. Since they had left Hoggle's cabin in the middle of the night but emerged into the Open Lands at noon, the whole group was feeling very weary – except for the goblins, who seemed to have boundless energy that only increased as the night approached.

With a final push the group made it over the last hill of the evening. As they entered the forest, Sarah noted apprehensively that the wood looked less welcoming in the growing darkness. The overwhelmingly tall trees were thick and a dense fog was beginning to settle as the evening air cooled. Ludo had to push some of the heavier branches aside to help his smaller companions make a path through the dark woods.

"I say, this is rather rough going," Didymus commented. "Perhaps we should go ahead and make camp?"

"No, keep following!" the goblins called back. "Better place soon." The little goblins could fit through holes and crevices in the dense forest without pushing back the heavy branches. They scampered ahead so quickly that they were out of sight before Sarah even realized it. Hoggle and Didymus were struggling to keep up as Ludo and Sarah tried to push ahead.

"Bumper, Stumps, wait!" Sarah cried. "You promised not to leave us!"

"Come on, Lady Sarah!" they called back, their voices sounding more and more distant. By now the forest was well and truly dark. Only dappled moonlight shone through in places to help the group find their way. Sarah could feel the panic rising in the back of her throat and she tried her best to stay calm in front of the others.

"Bumper! Stumps!" she called out once more. This time there was no answer.

Far ahead in a little clearing, out of sight of the group, the goblins giggled quietly and high-fived each other. Bumper pulled the crystal out of its hiding place.

"King, we're here!" he said gleefully. The crystal glowed in the night.

Back in the darkness of the woods, Sarah had called the group to a stop so that they could catch their breath. "No point in chasing them if they're that far ahead already," she said in frustration.

"Serves us right for trusting goblins!" Hoggle spat.

"Perhaps they just got overexcited," Didymus suggested. He felt a little conflicted. He did, after all, serve the King of the Goblins, and he knew that they were usually more mischievous than malicious. Ambrosius only whined in response.

"Dark," Ludo commented. Sarah agreed. She could barely make out his hairy outline in the blackness.

"How are we supposed to find any kind of clearing if we can't even see three feet in front of us?" Hoggle grumbled. Suddenly Sarah remembered the purple flashlight in her pack that she had grabbed just before leaving her room. It already felt like it had been ages ago.

"Wait a minute! I have something that will help!" Sarah rummaged quickly in her pack and grabbed the flashlight. She turned it on, and though the beam was narrow, the light cheered them all greatly.

"Well done, Lady Sarah!" Didymus cried.

"We'll have to go in a straight line and stick together to follow the path of the light," Sarah said. "I'll go first. Hoggle, you come next, then Didymus and Ambrosius. Ludo, you stay in the back since you're tall enough to see me, and that way you can just let the branches snap back behind you without accidentally hitting one of us."

It was slow going with only the flashlight to illuminate the path and Sarah in front trying to avoid the low-hanging branches. Behind her Hoggle stumbled on an exposed tree root, and fumbled frantically for the tail of Sarah's jacket to keep him from falling. Sarah didn't say anything when he didn't let go of it – she couldn't blame him for wanting to hold tight. Eventually, however, Sarah thought she could hear the gentle burbling of a stream. Ahead, she dimly saw what looked like a clearing with moonlight pouring down.

"Come on!" she said excitedly. "I think we're almost there!"

Suddenly, as Sarah pushed through the brush toward the clearing, a pair of red eyes appeared in the dark to her right. She stopped suddenly causing Hoggle to pile into her, and Didymus into him. Fortunately Ludo stopped in time and helped the others back to their feet.

"Oof!" said Hoggle, rubbing his backside. "What'd you stop for?"

"What's that?" Sarah asked, pointing. More eyes opened in the dark, and suddenly they realized they were surrounded by hundreds of little red points of light. Sarah tried aiming her flashlight directly at one pair of eyes, but when she did the eyes disappeared.

"I – I don't know!" Hoggle exclaimed, backing away and nearly knocking over Didymus again. Ambrosius whined.

"Come come, it's probably just some forest-dwelling creatures," Didymus said. "We must not be frightened!"

Titters of laughter suddenly rippled through the forest. Sarah felt a tug on her jacket, then Ludo jumped as something pulled his tail.

"What's going on?" Sarah demanded. "Who are you?" There was no answer but more of the strange laughter.

"Aaah!" Hoggle cried as his hat was suddenly snatched from his head. As Didymus tried to calm him, a peal of laughter rippled right behind Ambrosius, who decided he had had enough and took off running for the clearing with Didymus on his back.

"Ambrosius! Turn around this instant!" Didymus cried, but to no avail. In the darkness the rest of the group could no longer see their friend but could only hear the twigs and branches snapping in Ambrosius' wake.

Suddenly more hands were tugging and pulling at Sarah, Hoggle, and Ludo. Sarah was still holding the flashlight, but she was so busy brushing away her unseen foes that she couldn't get the beam to focus on them. She shrieked in frustration as tiny hands pulled at her hair and clothes. Ludo bellowed in annoyance as his fur was pulled over and over again. All they could see were glittering red eyes.

"We have to make a run for the clearing!" Sarah yelled. She felt Hoggle brush by her as he took off running into the forest in the same direction that Ambrosius and Didymus had been carried. However, she could hear Ludo crashing and moaning back through the brush, disoriented as the laughing creatures poked and prodded him.

"Ludo!" she cried. She tried to angle the flashlight in his direction to see where he had gone, when suddenly the little hands snatched it away from her. She heard the rippling laughter fading as she saw the flashlight bobbing up and down in the darkness, quicker than she could grab after it.

Sarah began to feel really truly frightened as she realized she was alone in the dark except for the red eyes all around her. She could hear various yells, cries, and even barking from time to time, but she had no idea what was going on. She thought about trying to run, but she was totally turned around in the darkness. Suddenly she remembered the box in her pack – the box with the white feather. She fumbled for her pack and reached inside to pull the box out.

" _I can't believe I'm doing this_ ," she said to herself. Was she really going to trust the _Goblin King_ to help her? But what other choice did she have, alone in the dark, separated from her friends? Sarah carefully slid her hand inside the box to pull out the white feather, afraid of dropping it and losing it in the darkness.

"Here we go," she murmured – but just as she was about to break the feather, she saw the beam of her flashlight bounced back into view, as though the creatures were playing catch with it. The light danced along a path through the air when suddenly Sarah heard a loud "ouch!" and the flashlight tumbled to the ground. Sarah instantly ran in the direction of the beam. She felt her foot make contact with more of the creatures as she booted them out of her way in her haste to get to the flashlight. Sarah hastily bent down to snatch up the flashlight before any of the creatures could grab it and shone it down in the direction that the "ouch" had come from. There, to her surprise, was a little blue goblin, disoriented on the ground and rubbing his head.

"GOBLINS!" Sarah yelled in anger and surprise.

Suddenly there was a flash of light as a new portal opened up in the clearing Sarah had been so desperately seeking. She could see now that she was only a few feet away from the safe haven. In the light from the portal Sarah could see Hoggle cowering beneath a tree branch and Didymus fighting off goblins with his stick. She still couldn't see Ludo, but she could hear him howling nearby.

"Didymus! Hoggle! Ludo! It's the goblins! It's a trick!" Sarah cried.

Abruptly the portal collapsed as a figure emerged. As the portal's light was extinguished Sarah barely caught a glimpse of platinum hair and a dark cape. Flashes of light burst from the figure's hands toward the red-eyed creatures as they retreated into the darkness. Sarah made a run for the clearing and scrambled down by Hoggle as the moon emerged from the clouds.

There was Jareth, bathed in the moonlight, standing smugly with his hands on his hips.

"Your Majesty!" Didymus gasped as the goblins he was fighting ran away into the darkness.

"Well, Sarah, I'm glad to see you unharmed," Jareth said extending a hand to help her up. "It looks like I got here just in time for the rescue." Sarah pushed herself up to her feet and brushed away his hand angrily.

"I don't know what kind of trick this is, Jareth, but that was no rescue!" Sarah replied, her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean, Sarah?" Jareth said, frowning. "Your group was under attack. I arrived to assist you, just as I promised I would."

Sarah held out the feather to him, her eyes blazing. "You must have been watching us. I didn't even break it!"

Jareth cocked his head to the side. "So what if I was?" Jareth asked casually. "I told you this quest was dangerous. I was concerned for the safety - of your group."

"Oh yeah?" Sarah yelled. "We were perfectly safe – until your goblins attacked us in the dark!"

Jareth looked uneasy. "My goblins?"

"Yes! You set this whole thing up! I knew it was crazy to trust you!" Sarah fumed. Hoggle and Sir Didymus looked on wide-eyed.

"Now wait just one minute, Sarah – "Jareth started to say, but Sarah was too angry to listen.

"No! You wait! Now Ludo is lost in the dark somewhere, and maybe even hurt, and it is all your fault! We trusted you, and we trusted Bumper and Stumps, and they led us right into this ambush! I bet this was all your idea from the start, wasn't it?"

Jareth looked furious but he couldn't defend himself against what Sarah was saying, since she was right. "I told you not to go on this quest. I wanted you to see how dangerous it could be so you would ask me to take you back. I wouldn't have had to if you would have just trusted me to begin with!" Jareth seethed.

"Why would I ever trust _you_?" Sarah yelled back. "From the first day I met you all you did was lie to me!"

Jareth's face was like ice. "I _never_ lie, Sarah. Be careful before you throw around such slanderous accusations."

"Oh yeah? Then why did you lie about Toby?" Sarah asked accusingly.

"I will not continue this conversation in public," Jareth growled, then snapped his fingers. Sarah looked around and realized that Hoggle and Sir Didymus, along with any remaining goblins, had disappeared.

"Where are my friends?" she demanded.

"I simply moved them to the next clearing ahead," Jareth answered. "I am their King, Sarah – how dare you talk to me like that in front of them?"

Sarah's face flushed red with embarrassment, then anger. "I don't care if you are a King, you can't just lie to me and get away with it!"

Jareth stepped forward angrily. "And I told you I have never lied to you. What are you accusing me of?"

"You lied when you said you would help us on this quest!" Sarah stormed.

"But I did help you. I granted your wish to leave the Labyrinth. I reordered time for you – _yet again_. I even sent you guides to help you read your pitiful map." Jareth sneered.

"But then you ambushed us in the dark! You tricked us!" Sarah cried.

"Like I tried to tell you, I wanted you to see what you were getting into. This isn't the Labyrinth! There are real dangers out here!" Jareth replied, stretching his hands wide. "Dangers that I might not be able to prevent. And even if it was a trick, I still never lied to you, Sarah."

"What about when you said that Toby would become a goblin if I didn't get him back? That wasn't true, was it?" Sarah said, flipping her hair angrily.

"I never said that," Jareth replied curtly. "I only said that he would become one of us, forever."

Sarah felt like the breath had been knocked out of her. "But I thought…well, I guess I just assumed…"

"I thought you had learned not to take things for granted," Jareth said coolly.

That was enough to bring Sarah's anger to the forefront yet again. "When I wished Toby away, there were a lot of things I didn't understand yet – and I was scared!"

Jareth paused for a moment before he answered her. "Fear is usually a suitable motivator for runners of the Labyrinth," Jareth commented in an almost offhand manner.

Sarah wanted to retort angrily right away, but something inside her stopped her. She paused for a moment and caught her breath. "You mean…you mean you let me think that on purpose? So I would be afraid?" Sarah asked hesitatingly.

Jareth said nothing. His face was very still, but his blue eyes glittered even in the dim light.

After a long pause, he said quietly "It appears you were sufficiently motivated."

Sarah had no idea what to say next. She shook her head slowly, trying to process the new perspective. "But…why would you want me to be motivated? Didn't you want Toby?"

Jareth growled low in his throat, frustrated. "It is complicated, Sarah. You see me as the villain still, but I am the Guardian of the wished-away, the unwanted."

"Guardian?" Sarah questioned.

"Of course!" Jareth spat out. "Tell me Sarah, do you think every child that is wished away is like Toby, with a foolhardy but noble sister to rescue him? Did you ever consider the poor, the sick, the truly abandoned that come to me? Foolish girl. You have no understanding of what it _truly_ means to be unwanted."

Jareth's bitter words stung. Sarah felt hot tears springing to her eyes. She _had_ felt unwanted after her mother left. She had felt hurt and abandoned at the way she seemed to slip into the background of her father's life when he remarried Karen and they had Toby. And she did feel mistreated by the harsh words of her stepmother sometimes, or by the mocking looks the cool kids gave her in the lunchroom at school. Yet Sarah knew in her heart there were many children whose lives had been far harder than hers. She had never been abused, or gone hungry. She had always had clothes to wear and three meals a day and a school to go to. It had just been hard to pierce the veil of teenage self-obsession to reach the more grown-up perspective that she was beginning to understand – a journey she had started as she ran the Labyrinth. Her life was not perfect, but it was not so bad. " _Hell, it's not like anyone ever wished me away to the goblins,"_ she thought with a bit of chagrin.

Jareth saw that she was listening and pushed harder. He leaned closer to her and spoke in an intense whisper. "What would you have me do, give a child back to someone who would resent him? Neglect him? Mistreat or abuse him? Come, come Sarah," Jareth sneered, pulling back. "I know that you are _young_ but surely you realize that not every unwanted child in the world is wished away simply because his older sister was resentful about having to stay home with the baby yet again."

Sarah looked away. She did not want to think about those children. No one wants to think about those children. Before she could help it, one of the hot tears slipped down her cheek and she angrily dashed it away. Why was it that Jareth always caused such emotional turmoil?

Jareth felt a moment of triumph that his point had hit home before the nearly instant regret took over. He had seen Sarah cry before, into tearstained pillowcases in her own bedroom, or in lonely moments of despair in the park, and his heart had ached for the sad little girl. Now he was the one who had caused her tears. He took a tentative step toward her, one gloved hand reaching out.

"Sarah," he said softly -

But before he could say more, a series of piercing screeches filled the air. Sarah gasped and looked up in fright, hurriedly wiping the tears away from her own eyes with her tunic sleeve. The sun was just starting to rise, and she could see colorful flashes here and there in the sky around them. She even thought she saw transparent wings, but they were buzzing so quickly in the air that she couldn't be sure. _Something_ was swarming and they were already nearly surrounded.

"Sarah, RUN!" Jareth cried urgently. When she heard the tone of his voice, she didn't think twice. Sarah took off running as fast as she could.


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: New chapter is up! Am I any good at writing action? I'd love your feedback.**

Sarah tore through the woods as fast as she could, shoving branches aside and tripping over tree roots. It was the middle of the night, and she was so tired, but she forgot her exhaustion as she desperately tried to find her friends in the dark woods. Her hair was constantly catching on twigs and snarling into knots, and once as she pushed her way through some underbrush some brambles caught her in the arm, leaving painful scratches behind. But still Sarah pushed on. This was nothing like the fear she had experienced earlier during the goblins' failed ambush attempt. This was a heart-pounding terror, inspired by the desperate note in the Goblin King's voice when he told her to run and the noise of the buzzing wings that she could still hear following her.

Three times she looked behind her in a vain attempt to find Jareth. He had been right behind her as she raced into the woods, urging her on, but he didn't follow her far.

"Hoggle! Ludo! Sir Didymus!" she called out to the darkness.

"Sarah! Where are you?" she heard Hoggle shout. She turned in the direction of his voice and continued her pace.

"I'm here, I'm here! Where are you?" she cried.

Suddenly, Sarah shrieked as she ran right up to the edge of the stream the goblins had talked about earlier. Her hands scrabbled against a nearby tree branch and she steadied herself just in time to keep from falling in.

"My Lady!" Sir Didymus called excitedly. "We are over here!"

Sarah looked up frantically – there was just enough light for her to see her friends waving and jumping up and down on the opposite bank of the creek.

"Sarah, hurry! You've got to get over here! I still hear those things behind you!" Hoggle cried.

Sarah looked down at the creek below her. She could tell there was a fairly-fast moving current, but she couldn't see how deep it was in the darkness.

"I don't think I can risk jumping in!" Sarah called. Suddenly something golden buzzed by her ear. She screamed. Something screeched in answer and she felt something sharp pierce her shoulder. Sarah cried out in pain. More golden and colorful metallic shapes began to swarm around her.

"SARAH!" Hoggle cried.

Out of nowhere, Bumper and Stumps emerged from their hiding place inside a tree trunk. "No! Don't hurt Lady!" Bumper cried. Both of the little goblins picked up anything nearby – rocks, twigs, acorns – and began to pelt the terrifying insects with them. Soon other goblins had popped up out of their hiding places to join the fray. Across the stream, Ludo howled and more stones rolled toward the goblins to aid them in their fight. Their aim was surprisingly good, knocking several of the jewel-colored objects out of the sky. Woozily, Sarah looked down at one that landed near her feet. It looked more like a golden wasp than anything else, but it had a cruel, hooked beak and long, elegant transparent wings like a dragonfly. When it stirred on the ground she could see flashes of bright color on its underbelly – as well as jagged stinger on its backside.

Suddenly there was a loud crashing behind Sarah and a bright blaze of light. The Goblin King emerged from the bushes, more awesome and terrible than she had ever seen him. His teeth were bared and his wild hair was standing on end as magic shimmered around him, knocking every wasp away from himself and Sarah. Several of the wasps flew at him at once, screeching intolerably, but he raised his hand and they simply disappeared. The goblins stared at him with open mouths, as did Sarah's friends from across the creek bed. Sir Didymus was in a frenzy – finally an opportunity to do battle with his King, and he was stuck on the other side of the rushing water.

The crisis was over. The bright light faded away, leaving only Jareth behind.

"Jareth?" Sarah asked, squinting her eyes to look up at him. She suddenly realized that she was lying on the ground. She wondered how she had gotten there.

"Sarah," he said, rushing to kneel by her side. "Can you move? I need you to remove your jacket."

Sarah felt dizzy and confused, but she sat up gingerly and did as he asked.

"Now if you would just pull the neck of your tunic aside," Jareth said. Sarah fumbled with the collar, trying to tug the fabric away from the burning pain in her shoulder, but her vision blurred and she slumped back down onto one elbow. She had tugged the green fabric away just enough to reveal a painfully swollen wound, red and angry in the soft flesh between her shoulder and collarbone. Jareth set his lips in a grim line. Quickly he removed the glove from his right hand. He gently cradled Sarah's head in his still-gloved left hand to steady her and hesitated for just a moment before placing his palm flat against the wound. As the goblins and Sarah's companions looked on, a subtle golden glow emanated from Jareth's hand, and the wound took on a much improved appearance. Sarah groaned softly but opened her eyes to look up at Jareth. His face was full of relief, but he looked exhausted.

Sarah sat up slowly and Jareth quickly moved away, replacing his glove. He realized he had never actually touched Sarah before, except in her ballroom dream. Her proximity was already distracting. Without his gloves, it was overwhelming.

From the opposite creek bed, Didymus looked on in shock. He had never seen Jareth use his healing powers on any but his own kind.

Sarah rubbed her temple groggily. "Jareth, what happened?"

"You were stung by a jeweled griffin wasp," he said simply. "Their venom is potent, especially for a human."

"Sarah, are you okay?" Hoggle called from across the creek bed.

"She will be fine now," Jareth answered. "But she will need to rest for several hours."

"Sire, can you bring us to you, or can you join us on this side?" Sir Didymus asked. "Perhaps we could assist you."

Jareth hesitated. "Unfortunately I am not able to do that for the moment, Didymus," he answered. "I was stung several times by the wasps as well, and I just removed the venom from Sarah's wound. When I am stung, it saps me of my magical power temporarily. It is painful and very annoying, but not too serious. But if a human like Sarah is stung, it can be much more serious," Jareth stood up, carefully wiping his hands clean. "Had you been stung as few as three times, it could possibly have been fatal for you," he said gravely, looking down at Sarah.

Sarah's eyes fluttered in surprise. "Fatal?" she asked. Jareth only nodded.

"Ludo help," the orange beast commented. Without further ado, he ambled over to a huge fallen log and tossed it across the creek like it was nothing, creating a makeshift bridge.

"Ludo help," he repeated with a satisfied grin.

"Well done, brother Ludo!" Didymus exclaimed. "Come on, Ambrosius!" Ambrosius hesitantly set a front paw on the log bridge, but finding it to be sturdy trotted across without any further concern. Hoggle wavered near the edge, looking down anxiously into the creek bed.

"I don't like heights," he grumbled to Ludo. Ludo unceremoniously picked him up as Hoggle squirmed in the air and placed him on his shoulder. Hoggle was too shocked to protest much as Ludo walked them both across the bridge.

Everyone gathered around Sarah, who now felt so much better that she was embarrassed to still be lying on the ground. She tried to struggle to her feet but slipped. Jareth's quick assistance steadied her, but again he moved away as soon as she had her balance. Sarah shot him an embarrassed and grateful look. His face was unreadable.

"Thank you," she said quietly. He merely nodded in response.

"Are you okay, Lady?" a contrite little goblin asked Sarah.

"Yes, I think I'll be fine now," Sarah said with a small smile. "I'm just very tired, and I need to rest."

"We could probably all use some rest after bein' attached by evil flyin' bug monsters," Hoggle griped.

"They are not evil. They are dangerous, but they are relatively mindless insects, defending their territory," Jareth replied. "Their nest was probably disturbed when you were running through the forest in the dark."

"Which we wouldn't have been doin' if the goblins hadn't ambushed us," Hoggle pointed out acerbically.

"And she wouldn't have been out here at all if you hadn't coerced her into joining your pathetic quest," Jareth sneered in return.

"Now now, let's all just settle down a moment," Didymus interjected loudly. "We are all grateful for your help, Sire. I don't know what we would have done if Lady Sarah had been seriously hurt. Perhaps we should build a fire to warm ourselves, and to keep any other dangers away so that we can sleep for a few hours and recover our strength?"

"Good idea, Didymus," Hoggle agreed. "I'll look for some firewood. Crummy Fireys never around when ya actually need one," Hoggle grumbled to himself as he walked away.

"Goblins will help!" Stumper said excitedly, and he and the other goblins that were still hanging around scampered off to grab up dry leaves and twigs.

Ludo lumbered off to call some rocks into a circle to make a pit for the campfire. Finding himself alone with Sarah and Jareth, Sir Didymus quickly excused himself to go hunt for some berries.

Jareth maintained a regal pose, tall on his feet, but as soon as Didymus was out of sight he eased back against the trunk of a tall tree and slipped down to the forest floor. He leaned against the cool trunk and shut his eyes.

Sarah carefully moved closer and sat down near him. In the moonlight, she could see that his face was pale and drawn. Sarah still didn't feel too well herself, but she was suddenly overcome with guilt to see him so weakened.

"Jareth?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him.

He tilted his head and opened one eye to look at her. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"I will recover given some time to rest."

There was a brief pause while the two sat in silence. Finally Sarah worked up the courage to speak again. "I – I don't know what to say, except thank you. I mean, you saved my life," Sarah stammered.

Jareth sat up a little straighter and opened both eyes, looking directly at Sarah. "As Hogwart astutely pointed out, you wouldn't have been in danger to begin with if the wasps hadn't been disturbed. Or if I hadn't let you come on this godforsaken quest in the first place," he said angrily.

"No, don't blame yourself," Sarah said with some heat. "I _wanted_ to be here. I _wanted_ to help my friends. But now I feel pretty dumb," she admitted. "We aren't prepared enough at all, and you tried to warn me." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry I didn't listen."

Jareth looked at her with a faint air of surprise. "You don't trust me," he said matter-of-factly.

"I don't understand you," Sarah replied simply.

Jareth's mouth twisted in a wry grin. "Fair enough, I suppose," he said drily. Sarah looked up and gave him a small smile. Jareth's smile slid into something more genuine, and his eyes softened.

"I mean, there is one thing I really don't understand. If it really is this dangerous, why did you let me come on the quest anyway?" Sarah asked.

Jareth opened his mouth and then closed it again. Though he was greatly encouraged by this tentative rapport with Sarah, he was feeling much too weary to discuss that particular topic.

Fortunately for Jareth, he was saved as Hoggle and the goblins returned with armloads of firewood. Everyone moved over to Ludo's fire pit, and Jareth felt recovered enough to provide a small spark. Soon there was a cheerful fire lighting up the night, and the whole group shared some of the berries that Didymus had found and the rest of Sarah's now-crumbled granola bars. Reassured by the safety of their clearing, one by one the group tumbled into a deep and grateful sleep for the rest of the night.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Hello lovely readers! This is just a short and sweet chapter, but you get some time with our favorite Goblin King and learn some interesting things about Jareth here. This is really just a half chapter, but I will have the next half ready to go soon. Thank you so much for your reviews, follows, and favorites! I especially want to think Gqueen for your comments since I wasn't able to send you a PM back! :)**

Even though he could feel the warmth on his face and sense the faint daylight through his eyelids, Jareth was loath to open his eyes the next morning. He had fallen asleep against a tree trunk – not the most comfortable position imaginable – and was stiff and sore from the stings and exertions of the previous night.

Suddenly his whole body went taut in alertness. There was something constricting the movement of his left leg.

Jareth's eyes flew open. Looking down, he realized it was a great, big, fuzzy, red paw.

Oh. Ludo.

Jareth groaned softly to himself and rolled his eyes. Glancing over at the prone beast, he saw that Ludo was still sleeping deeply, a faint snore coming from his nose. Jareth carefully lifted the giant paw and gracefully extricated himself, sweeping his leg back under him and rising to his feet in one fluid motion with Ludo none the wiser.

From a standing position, Jareth could see that Ludo's body was folded in a protective position. Jareth angled his head for a better view. There was Sarah, curled up in a half-circle, with her head resting on her clasped hands and her knees tucked up behind her. Jareth felt a confusing twinge of jealousy and gratitude towards Ludo as he watched Sarah's face, serene in her slumber. Jareth stood there for a long moment, watching quietly as the sun rose behind him.

It wasn't very common that Jareth would sleep through an entire night. Jareth usually slept restlessly, and besides he treasured his nighttime flights. He often preferred the darkest hours – no problem for someone with the vision of an owl. But yesterday's efforts and injuries had sapped his magical strength to the point of exhaustion. This morning, however, he sensed that his magic had fully returned, strong and powerful like a cloak around him.

Waking at sunrise was unusual for him since he often spent half the night awake. He also wasn't accustomed to sleeping in the open, or waking with others nearby – at least not after he had permanently banned the goblins from his sleeping chamber. Now he could see several of them curled up in little sleeping balls all around the forest floor. Hoggle and Sir Didymus were also sound asleep, one on either side of Ambrosius.

Jareth didn't want to wake the others. He had some thinking to do and it would be easier to do alone. He decided to take a walk in the woods.

In the growing daylight there was nothing frightening at all about the forest. The sun shone through the tree branches, creating dappled leaves along the side of the bubbling brook, and here and there Jareth could hear bird calls and little rustling noises as the forest began to wake up.

It was a strange thing, he thought, to be the youngest of the Very Old. He had been the last child born before his kind began to fade. He could still remember when some of these great trees were but saplings. Yet he was still very young for one of his kind, still ambitious, sometimes still rash; without a family of his own, but with plenty of other responsibilities that he couldn't escape.

There were still others like him. Some of them were even still in the Underground, but he saw less and less of them as the years went by. Others had moved Aboveground long ago, marrying into human families, their magic fading over time. Some of their descendants still seemed to have a little spark of magic about them, though. Jareth had often wondered if Sarah was one of them.

Sarah. Jareth's insides still went cold when he remembered seeing her crumpled on the ground by the creek bed. How could he allow this quest to continue? And yet…if he forced her to go back now, she might never talk to him again.

It wasn't possible for him to just whisk them all straight to the Dwarf Kingdom. In order to protect the stability of the Underground, each ruling monarch had agreed not to enter the Kingdom of another monarch without an express invitation. Because Jareth was much more powerful than the leaders of most of the other kingdoms, and because of his responsibilities regarding the wished-aways, invitations from the other leaders were rather infrequent. Usually he didn't particularly care, but now he ground his teeth in frustration. If Hoggle had come to him with his request and given him time, he could have worked out something through the diplomatic channels of the Underground. But the Dwarves of all the peoples of the Underground tended to be the most suspicious and almost always kept to themselves in their mountain home. The Labyrinth was different, since it was a home for all kinds of outcast, misfit, and lonely creatures. What a shock Hoggle was in for if he did finally reach his homeland, Jareth thought to himself.

If he couldn't just take them to the Dwarf Kingdom, neither was it possible for him to stay with them on the quest indefinitely. It would probably take them at least a few more weeks to travel through the Open Lands, and there was no way Jareth could remain away from the Goblin Kingdom for that long without returning to total chaos. Not to mention that it would be nearly miraculous if he wasn't called away by at least one summons during that time period. He was somewhat encouraged to remember that Sarah had pulled out the feather the night before, even if she hadn't actually broken it. If he had to leave, he would feel better knowing that she was at least willing to call him for help. And he could leave Bumper and Stumps with the group, knowing that they could summon him with the crystal in a flash if necessary.

Did they even want him to stay, anyway? Hoggle certainly didn't, and Ludo seemed at most indifferent. Didymus would be thrilled if Jareth stayed, probably, but he doubted Sarah would be. Jareth sighed.

" _Heavy is the head that wears the crown_ ," he thought, then rolled his eyes at his own melodrama. Whatever, he never even wore his crown unless he had to. It didn't really work with his everyday style.

It was settled. He would return to the camp and wake Didymus to let him know that he was going back to the Goblin Kingdom. Didymus would understand, and Jareth could make him promise to keep in touch. Plus he needn't leave them as totally unprepared as they had started out.

With his mind made up, Jareth turned on his heels briskly enough to make his cloak swing out behind him and headed back to where the others were just beginning to stir.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Another short-ish chapter for you all tonight! Please read and review!**

Sarah was snug in her bedroom in the beautiful white Victorian home. She was fast asleep in her bed when she was suddenly aware that someone was watching her. She sat up sleepily, rubbing her eyes. It was still mostly dark in her room, but rays from the just-rising sun were starting to peek into her window. They cast the figure in her doorway in silhouette, making it hard for her to tell who it was.

Sarah tried to shake the sleep out of her head. It was a Saturday. She didn't mean to be up so early on a day with no school. She was ten years old.

"Mom?" Sarah asked confusedly.

The figure in her doorway drew in a sharp breath that sounded almost like a sob. "Go back to sleep, Sarah. I didn't mean to wake you."

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked with a note of alarm. Sarah was a sensitive little girl and she could hear the heaviness in her mother's voice.

"Nothing is wrong. I was…I was just watching you. While you were sleeping," Sarah's mother replied. "I've always done it, since you were a little baby. It's something mothers do. One day you'll understand."

Linda stepped into the room and Sarah got a better glimpse of her face. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face, though still beautiful, looked tired and careworn. She sat down on the edge of the bed and smoothed Sarah's hair back from her forehead.

"I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep now. You need your rest. You're still growing so fast," Linda said softly.

Sarah settled back down in her covers. She was still a little unsettled but she allowed her mother's voice to comfort her. Sleep came to reclaim her. As she was slipping back into her dream she heard her mother say quietly, "Be good, Sarah."

From the window, an owl was watching with big, sad eyes. Only the owl saw Linda as she left her daughter's room, grabbed a packed bag from the hallway, and drove away from the beautiful white Victorian home.

Jareth returned to the makeshift campsite hoping to find Sir Didymus, Bumper, and Stumps before the others woke up. It would be easier to just slip away, and he could leave another crystal with Didymus. That way he could check in on the group whenever he wanted.

But when Jareth approached the camp, he saw that Sarah was no longer sleeping peacefully, but was thrashing and groaning in her sleep. As he carefully stepped closer, she cried out.

"No," she sobbed. "Don't leave! Don't leave me!"

Jareth's heart wrenched as he stared at her incredulously, but he quickly realized she was having a bad dream. He hesitated for a moment, but then knelt down beside her. He gently placed one gloved hand on her forehead.

He saw a young Sarah, crying in her bedroom. Her father was there, awkwardly stroking her hair, as tears streamed down her round little face.

"Why did she leave us?" the little girl was crying. "Why won't she come home?"

Jareth remembered that day. He had been watching the little girl from time to time since the day he first encountered her in the park. Her games of make-believe amused him, and her happy little family had provided a diversion for him Aboveground, away from his lonely life with no family of his own nearby. He had been at the window, had seen the beautiful mother running out the door, never to return home.

Jareth grimaced and whispered a few soft words. Instantly Sarah stilled, and her breathing grew calm. He gently stroked her forehead with his thumb.

Suddenly Sarah woke up with a start. Her eyes flew open and she gasped to see Jareth kneeling beside her. The sunlight was shining in his silvery hair and she couldn't help but notice how handsome he was up close.

"Bad dreams can be an unpleasant side effect of the griffin wasp's stings," Jareth said, rising abruptly and taking a step back from Sarah. "I trust you are better now?"

"Y-yes," Sarah stammered, still startled by waking up full of emotions from her bad dream and by Jareth's proximity. Her heart was racing. She looked up and saw Hoggle and Sir Didymus watching them. Hoggle looked very cross, but Didymus had a curious look on his face. Ludo was dreaming on, oblivious to the interesting little drama.

"Where are Bumper and Stumps?" Jareth called out authoritatively, trying to regain a little swagger as he crossed one leg over the other and rested his elbow against a tree trunk.

"Right here, King!" cried out two voices. Bumper and Stumps seemed to appear out of nothing, as goblins sometimes do.

"I must return to the Goblin Kingdom now," Jareth said formally. "You two will stay with the group and inform me immediately if you encounter any danger."

"Now wait just a minute here!" Hoggle started to protest. "We ain't in your Kingdom, Jareth, for you to tell us what we have to do! What if we don't want your goblins around?"

Jareth gave Hoggle a cold look and Sir Didymus was just about to reply when Sarah spoke up. "Hoggle, I think he's right." Sarah rose to her feet and came to stand between Jareth and Hoggle. "There are things out here that we aren't ready for. I thought I could handle it, but I can't." She turned to Jareth. "Without your help, I don't know what would have happened to me. So thank you, again, and I'm glad you are willing to help us again if we need it."

Jareth nodded stiffly in return. "I will go now. But if there is danger, don't hesitate to call me." He reached down to take the map from Bumper and Stumps. He touched it and a new icon glowed on the page. Jareth raised one eyebrow at the goblins. "Hmmm. I see. Don't forget to avoid the water if you can. You know what to do," he said to Bumper and Stumps, his voice echoing as he faded from view. He gave Sarah one last significant look before they could no longer see him.

Sarah then turned back to her friends. "I'm sorry you got hurt on account of me, Sarah," Hoggle mumbled, staring at the ground.

Sarah smiled at him. "It wasn't your fault, Hoggle. Really it's mine. I thought, after the Labyrinth, that I was ready for anything. I didn't realize I could be so wrong. But I'm still determined to help you, just like I promised."

Didymus was nearly dancing with excitement. He couldn't wait to see what else awaited them in the Open Lands. He secretly hoped they would encounter new dangers soon – _he_ wasn't afraid, and he wanted to see what would happen next if they did indeed have to call upon His Majesty again.

"Where is our next destination?" he called out. Bumper and Stumps came running over waving the map like a banner.

"We head for the Silver Ravine," the goblins said, showing them the glowing icon. They all gathered around excitedly when suddenly they were all startled by a loud snore.

Sarah stifled a giggle. "I guess someone should wake Ludo," she grinned.


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: Hello readers! I am sorry for the time it has taken to get this update ready! Life has been busy lately and the third trimester of pregnancy is slowing me down a bit more than I had hoped. But I hope you enjoy this installment! Please read and review! :** )

The rest of the morning went by smoothly. The group moved out of the Whispering Woods as quickly as they could, and by midday they were back in the Open Lands. Sarah started to feel able to shake off the frightening events of the previous day and the disturbing nightmares of that morning as the bright sunlight washed over her and she listened to the happy chatter of her friends. As they walked the goblins hopped and danced in little circles and sang funny traveling songs. Hoggle tried to look cross but Sarah caught him chuckling a few times at their antics.

"I didn't know that goblins liked to sing," Sarah commented to Bumper.

"Goblins love singing more than anything, Lady Sarah!" Bumper exclaimed. "Well, except maybe playing tricks. Or drinking ale."

"Don't forget chicken races," Stumps chimed in.

"Oh yeah." Bumper looked thoughtful for a second. "Well, anyway, goblins like singing a lot."

"I coulda told you that," Hoggle grumbled. "Can't get 'em to shut up sometimes when I'm working in the gardens in the Labyrinth."

"Indeed," replied Didymus. "Sometimes Ambrosius and I can hear the music from the castle all the way in our cabin by the Bog."

"King teaches us lots of songs," Stumps said cheerfully.

"The King does?" Sarah asked, incredulous.

"Sure Lady," Bumper replied. "Sings songs for the little ones too."

"You mean for the wished-aways?" Sarah asked.

"Yep," Bumper nodded. "Keeps the babies happy."

Sarah suddenly remembered Toby's picture. "Did the King sing a song for – for Toby? For my baby brother?"

"Oh yeah, that was a great one!" Stumps chortled.

"Dance magic dance!" Bumper yelled. Both goblins dissolved into peals of laughter.

Hoggle and Ludo exchanged glances and just shrugged. Sarah looked thoughtful.

"If you have never heard the King sing, my Lady, I hope you have the opportunity someday," Didymus said. "He is a most gifted singer."

"Oh, I – well, yes. I mean I have. I mean he is," Sarah stammered, suddenly turning red.

"Why, did His Majesty sing when you were running the Labyrinth, my Lady?" Didymus asked, surprised.

"Yes. A couple of times, actually," Sarah said hesitantly. "Once right at the end, after I left you all in the throne room. And once when – when I got separated from all of you for a while. In the forest."

"Hey yeah, you never did tell us what happened then, Sarah," Hoggle spoke up.

"Yeah," Ludo chimed in.

Sarah hesitated. She had never told anyone about her ballroom dream. "Well, I took a bite of the peach, and then it was like I was trapped…trapped in some kind of dream," Sarah said slowly.

"What was the dream like?" Didymus asked.

"I was in a ballroom. I had this long white dress on…it was actually really beautiful," Sarah said. "The ballroom was beautiful too. There were all these dancers, and crystals were hung all over the room. But I was so confused. I knew I was looking for something, but I couldn't remember what it was," Sarah said.

"The Crystal Ballroom," Didymus said softly.

"It's a real place?" Sarah asked incredulously.

"It was," Didymus said mysteriously.

"Then what happened?" Hoggle asked at the same time. Sarah wanted to press Didymus further, but she answered Hoggle instead.

"Well, I realized that I was trapped inside of a crystal. So I picked up a chair and just kind of smashed my way out," Sarah said. She knew she was glossing over the details, but she couldn't help wanting to keep some of the dream private.

Didymus looked impressed. "Well done, my Lady," he said admiringly. "Crystal illusions can be very convincing."

"It was," Sarah admitted. "It nearly made me run out of time." Hoggle grunted and looked grim.

"Sawah bwave," Ludo commented proudly.

"I don't know if brave is really the right word for it, but thanks anyway Ludo," Sarah smiled.

"Will you sing us the song from your dream, Lady?" Bumper asked plaintively. "We love new songs."

"Oh, I don't know – I'm not really much of a singer," Sarah protested. Suddenly she wasn't even sure she could remember the words, though she could remember they were full of romance. She hummed a little to herself. The melody came back to her as an echo, sweet and soft. Surprised, Sarah looked up and realized that they were approaching something like a canyon, with a silvery ribbon of river running through the middle of it. The stony walls of the canyon were silver, and even the green leaves of the nearby trees and grasses had a silvery glow.

"My Lady, do you hear the music?" Didymus asked, uncharacteristically quiet. "We have reached the Silver Ravine."

Back at the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, Jareth was busy feeling thoroughly disgusted with himself. He had returned to the castle to deal with his royal duties, but truth be told he hadn't been able to think of anything but the little ragtag group and their quest all day long. Over and over again, he would start to focus on a task, then find his mind wandering. Before he knew it, he had formed a crystal and was peering inside for a glimpse of Sarah. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he would throw the crystal at the wall and watch as it smashed into a million pieces, much to both the alarm and the delight of the nearby goblins. Jareth threw himself down into his throne and ran his fingers through his hair until it stood on end, shaking his head in frustration.

"Oh, I'm a disaster," he groaned, resting his forehead in his hand, when suddenly he heard a voice.

"King?" One of his goblins was tugging on the edge of his cape.

Jareth peered at the goblin. "Yes, Nix, what do you want?"

"Um. Are you okay?" Nix asked.

"Why do you ask?" Jareth replied stiffly.

"Oh, um…no reason," Nix said hurriedly "You know, just maybe the groaning and the yelling and the hair ruffling. And that," he said, pointing at the pile of crystal shards in the corner of the throne room. A few other goblins crept up to the throne and nodded anxiously in agreement.

Jareth groaned again and waved his hand. The pile of shards was gone. He looked down at the worried goblins now gathered around his throne.

"Are all of you really worried about me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes King!" they chorused. "What's wrong?"

Jareth sighed. "Oh, my fine fellows. Nothing is wrong. It's just been a long day. Now go on and let me have some peace this evening." He tried to say this last part gruffly, but he was rather touched at his goblins' concern for him.

"Okay King, whatever you say," the goblins agreed, even though a few hesitated. Jareth smiled slightly and tossed a crystal in the air above them. It burst in the air, turning into a rain of candy.

"YAAAAAAY!" the goblins yelled, catching the candy midair and crawling on top of one other. They all rushed out of the room with their prizes to go enjoy and celebrate the favor of their King and leave him in the peace and quiet he had asked for.

As the goblins dispersed, Jareth said to himself. "What's wrong? I've just gotten my hopes up, that's all." He was tired. It had been a trying day and there was always that nagging little power drain from reordering time for Sarah's family. He thought about the Crystal Ballroom he remembered from his youth, filled with dancers and festivities of all kinds. He thought about long nights spent dancing with others of his kind, laughing and talking. He thought about Sarah in a white dress.

Sighing, he formed one more crystal. This time he allowed himself watch for a moment. The scene inside was all silver.

"The Silver Ravine," he murmured, peering more closely. "Well done."

Suddenly he sat up quickly. He had noticed something in the corner of the image.

"Wait, Sarah – it's a trap!" he cried to the empty room.

Sarah was utterly transfixed by the landscape around them. In the late afternoon sun, the very ground and rocks they stood on seemed to sparkle and glow in silvery shapes. Beautiful shimmery green and purple flowers had popped up everywhere she looked, and as they got closer to the edge of the ravine she was fascinated by the silvery water rolling beneath them.

"It's so beautiful," she sighed happily.

"It is indeed, my Lady," Didymus agreed heartily. "I must say, I have often heard of this place, but this is my first time to see it with my own eyes. The descriptions have not done it justice, isn't that right, Ambrosius?" Even Hoggle was gazing around in awe.

"Sir Didymus, does anyone live in the ravine?" Sarah asked.

"Not that I know of, my Lady," he replied. "Though it has great beauty, there is nothing here that is edible, and the water below is not safe."

"Why not?" Hoggle asked, confused.

"There are rumors that unfriendly creatures live in the water, my brother," Didymus answered. "Of course, I would not be afraid to fight such creatures, but on a daily basis it might make living here somewhat challenging."

"I'll say!" Hoggle snorted.

"If no one lives here, then where is the music coming from?" Sarah asked. She still heard the melody she had hummed echoing back to her faintly, along with other delicate strains that the wind seemed to catch and bring to her ears.

"I do not know, my Lady," Didymus said. "Perhaps the winds as they blow through the ravine form a melody?"

"No, that's not it," Hoggle said, unsatisfied. "Plus, don't ya think it's louder over there? Like it's comin' from that direction?"

Sure enough, when Sarah turned her head the way Hoggle indicated, it did seem like she could hear the song a bit clearer.

"Yeah, that's definitely it!" Hoggle said enthusiastically. He began to walk toward the music, his eyes wide. He hopped off of the traveler's path and began climbing over the silvery rocks.

"Wait a minute, Sir Hoggle," Didymus called after him. "I don't believe we are supposed to leave the path."

"That's the wrong way!" Bumper and Stumps cried, waving the map. Hoggle kept going.

"Hoggle!" Sarah cried, alarm in her voice. He was far from them now, clambering over rocks. Sir Didymus began to chase after him on Ambrosius.

"Hoggle!" he cried. "Come back to the path!"

Sarah saw the cord just as it was too late. Before she could even cry out, Hoggle had triggered the trap, and he and Sir Didymus were caught in a silvery net high above the rocks.

"Oh no!" Sarah cried, clutching Ludo's paw. "What do we do now?"


	22. Chapter 22

_AN: Hello readers! Was it too mean to leave you with a literal cliffhanger last chapter? Well, here is a new part of the story for you, I hope you enjoy it! Also, huge shoutout to_ _ **Lylabeth1**_ _for all of the great reviews! I really appreciate it! :)_

As Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ambrosius dangled high above the shining rocks, Sarah suddenly realized how dangerously sharp some of the rocks edging the ravine were. She frantically tried to think of a plan to get them down safely.

Sir Didymus was flailing around furiously. "It's disgraceful to catch a knight and a servant of a king in a net!" Sir Didymus was hollering. "There is no honor in such an action! Come out and fight like a man instead, whoever you are!"

Hoggle, on the other hand, was clutching desperately to the sides of the net and looking rather green. "Ugh, Didymus, stop swinging the net! I don't know if I can take this," Hoggle moaned. Ambrosius whined in agreement.

Hang on, Hoggle! Sir Didymus, stop struggling! You're making it worse!" Sarah called out. "Just hang on, and we will get you down! Let me think!"

Sarah looked up to inspect the net more closely. When she looked carefully, she could see that it was suspended on a silvery rope from the edge of the ravine.

"Ludo, if we could cut that rope, could you catch them?" Sarah asked, pointing up to show him what she meant.

Ludo considered it for a moment. "Sure," he replied, stretching his arms out.

"Alright," Sarah said. "Sir Didymus, do you have your belt knife?"

"Of course, my Lady," the knight answered. "But alas, I cannot reach the rope!" he growled in frustration.

"That's okay, I think I know what we can do," Sarah said. "Bumper, Stumps, can you climb onto Ludo's shoulders?"

"Sure Lady," both goblins said quickly, and before she could blink an eye, they both had scampered up onto Ludo's back. Ludo stretched out his great arms, and they hopped from his head to his outstretched hands. From there, Stumps crouched down to let Bumper onto his shoulders. They teetered precariously for a moment, but with Ludo on the bottom of the pyramid as a strong base Bumper quickly regained his footing.

"Great! You've almost got it!" Sarah cheered. "Do you think you can make the leap?" Sarah asked.

"I think so, Lady," Bumper said, sticking out his little tongue in concentration. Sarah stepped back and watched nervously as Bumper leapt from Stump's shoulders. He nearly missed, but Didymus swung the net in his direction at the last moment, allowing Bumper to pull himself up onto the net.

"Way to go, Bumper!" Sarah cried in relief. "Now you can take the knife from Sir Didymus and cut them down!"

"Oh, I don't know about this," Hoggle said agitatedly.

"I'm sorry Hoggle, but I can't see another way to get you down," Sarah called up to him. "We can't just leave you up there!"

"But how can Ludo catch us all at once?" Hoggle asked.

"That's a good point," Sarah admitted.

"Ludo strong," the beast replied, flexing his huge shoulders.

"I'll help too," Stumps said. He had moved to Ludo's back and held up his tiny arms.

Sarah had to stifle a giggle. Stumps looked so sincere but it was obvious that anything falling from a distance would simply knock him to the ground as well.

"Bumper, what if you just cut the side of the net open and they can jump out one at a time?" Sarah called up to the little goblin.

"Okay Lady," Bumper said cheerfully. He took the knife from Sir Didymus and began sawing at the sturdy rope.

"Whew, this rope is hard stuff," Bumper said, wiping sweat from his little brow.

"You're doing great, Bumper!" Sarah called out encouragingly.

After a few tense moments, Bumper had cut through enough of the rope to let Ambrosius out. Ludo dutifully stood as close to the net as he could and stretched out his arms. The timid sheepdog whined, but after some gentle prodding from Sir Didymus, Ambrosius closed his eyes and leapt out into Ludo's waiting arms. Ludo carefully set him down on the ground no worse for wear. All of the friends cheered and Sarah hugged the sheepdog that reminded her so much of her own Merlin.

"Well done everybody! Now that's what I call teamwork!" Sarah exclaimed.

"I will go next," Didymus announced. "Are you ready, my brother?"

"Ludo ready," the great beast replied, stretching out his arms once again.

Sir Didymus went to leap gracefully out of the net, but his scabbard got tangled for a moment, leaving him hanging precariously the air for a second. Sarah gasped, but Didymus quickly squirmed enough that the scabbard slipped out of the knot, freeing him. Ludo caught him neatly and gently set him down next to his steed.

"Well done, my brother!" Didymus cried in appreciation. "Now Sir Hoggle, it is your turn!"

"Ohhhhhh," Hoggle moaned.

"Come on Hoggle, you can do it! Just like the other two!" Sarah called out to him. Hoggle, who hated heights, worked up all the courage he had and was just about to leap when something startled him.

"Stop! You may not free the prisoners!" a voice called out. Sarah and her friends looked up in astonishment as several creatures crawled out from a hole in the side of the ravine. The creatures had long shaggy purple hair and ape-like faces with luminous green eyes. Their arms and fingers seemed strangely long, making it easy for them to climb and clamber over even the sharpest rocks.

"I didn't think anyone lived here!" Sarah said in surprise.

"That is what many believe," one of the creatures said, stepping forward. "But as you can see, they are wrong, and so were you."

"But where do you live? There aren't any buildings or trees or closets or anything," Bumper asked confusedly as he dangled from the top of the net.

The purple creature gave the little goblin an annoyed look. "There are extensive caves and caverns in the walls of the ravine," he answered smugly. "We make our home there, and these intruders were headed straight for one of our caves!"

"We didn't mean to do it!" Hoggle wailed. "I got confused by the music, and Didymus was just tryin' to stop me!"

"Quiet! You are our captives now, and so are the rest of you!" the purple creature said sternly, gesturing to the rest of the group.

"Captives!" Sarah exclaimed. "What right do you possibly have to take us captive?"

"You are trespassing in the Silver Kingdom!" the purple creature arrogantly replied.

"What do you mean? We were on the traveler's path – just take a look at this map!" Sarah retorted, taking the map from Bumper and Stumps and shoving it at the purple creature. "Besides, these are Open Lands! There aren't any kingdoms here!" Sarah protested.

"The dwarf left the traveler's path and trespassed on our lands," the purple creature replied smugly. "And then the small ones climbed onto our lands and cut down our property. We watched it all from our hiding place," he added.

Sarah was furious. "Hoggle only left the path for a moment, and it was only because he was confused by the music! Everything that happened after that was just to try to help get him down! Besides, how could we know we were trespassing if no one even knows you are here? I demand that you release my friends and let us be on our way!"

As she gestured angrily, her owl necklace slipped out from under her tunic. The owl pendant was visible at the base of her throat.

Suddenly the creature looked at her and froze. "You are an associate of King Jareth?" he asked.

Sarah shot a quick look at her friends, and then stepped forward. "You could say that," Sarah said with her head held high. "I beat his Labyrinth," Sarah announced with her hands on her hips.

The creature's eyes widened in surprise. "You are a Champion?"

"That's right," Sarah said, trying to sound confident. Her friends nodded their heads in agreement.

The purple creature nervously edged back and shot a look back at the other creatures who had gathered behind him. One of the other creatures, who appeared to be female, came up and whispered in his ear. They conferred for a moment, and then the first creature looked at the group and cleared his throat as if embarrassed.

"It appears there has been some misunderstanding," he said. "Perhaps we should start over. My name is Mylan. We will assist you in helping your other friends down."

Sarah was suspicious, but since they were outnumbered, she thought trying to cooperate would be best. "We would appreciate that," she said as regally as she could.

Mylan nodded and gestured to a few others in his group. Sarah and her friends looked on in astonishment as the creatures clambered up the side of the ravine with great alacrity. One reached the top and carefully untied the net while several others hung onto the silvery rope and gently lowered Hoggle and Bumper onto the ground. Bumper hopped off as cheerfully as ever, but Hoggle crawled out gratefully, sighing in relief. Sarah helped him up and made sure he stood slightly behind her until he could recover.

Mylan approached Sarah again and gave her a small bow. "I trust that none of your friends came to any harm?"

"No, I think everyone is okay," Sarah replied. "We thank you for your help." Sarah was still feeling suspicious, but she noticed that the sun was rapidly sinking in the sky, and remembered their original goal for getting to the Silver Ravine by the evening. "Look, now that we have this cleared up, we need food and water, and a place to stay for the evening. What can we trade you for that?" Sarah said matter-of-factly.

"We would be honored to host a Champion of the Labyrinth," the creature said with a bow. "And your friends as well, of course."

"That is very kind of you, but I insist that you allow us to pay you back," Sarah tried to protest.

"There is nothing that could bring us more pleasure than to show you our hospitality to make up for our poor greeting," Mylan answered. "Please allows us to prepare a feast for you and your friends."

Sarah wanted to argue, but she suddenly realized just how tired and hungry she was. She knew her friends must be feeling the same way after their ordeal. She glanced at Sir Didymus, and he gave her a slight nod. She stood up straight and tried to look dignified.

"Very well, we accept your hospitality," she said graciously.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Mylan. "If you will all come with me now, I will show you an entrance to our cavern around this corner. We will provide a place for you to wash and rest while we prepare a feast for our new friends."

"Thank you," Sarah said with a little bow of her own head. She gestured for her friends to follow Mylan. He and the other purple creatures led them around the shadows on the side of the cliff face where a hidden door was carved into the rock. The edges of the door were barely perceptible. Mylan opened the door and the other purple creatures slid down into the cavern first. One by one, Sarah's friends followed, until only Sarah was left.

"Well done," said a quiet voice in the shadows. Sarah gasped and turned around as Jareth stepped forward. The shadows on his face as he moved into the light threw his features into sharp relief.

"Oh, it's you," Sarah said breathlessly. At the sound of his voice she had taken a slight step back in surprise, but once she realized it was him she gave him a tentative smile.

Jareth raised an eyebrow at her. "I did tell you I would be watching and would come to assist you if needed. However, in this case, by the time I arrived it seemed you had the situation well in hand."

Sarah shrugged her shoulders and pushed her hair back from her face. Before she could reply, they heard Sir Didymus calling to Sarah.

"My Lady, these caverns are truly wondrous! Come join us for our feast!" he sang out cheerfully as he stuck his head out of the hole in the rock.

"And am I invited as well?" Jareth drawled.

"Your Majesty!" Didymus exclaimed in surprise. "I should have known that you would be looking out for us."

"Yes, well this time it seems my assistance was entirely unnecessary," Jareth said, gesturing for Sarah to enter the cavern. Sarah hesitated for a second but then obliged him by going ahead. He followed her with his eyes as she slipped away.

"In fact, she handled it like a queen," Jareth said softly. Didymus glanced at him sharply. For once, Jareth's face was unguarded, and the look in Jareth's eyes gave him away. Though Didymus had had his suspicions about his king's feelings, now he found he didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth but for once nothing came out. Jareth gave his shoulders a little shrug and stepped into the cavern. Didymus shook his head and followed after Jareth. Life was getting more interesting every day on this quest.


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Hello readers! You all have left me such lovely reviews this week that I wanted to go ahead say thanks with another little chapter. Can't wait to see what you think! Thank you for your support of this story!**

Though the Silver Ravine had been beautiful, the caverns did not disappoint. Inside the dark caves the walls were lit by softly glowing mushrooms, and the ores and minerals in the cavern walls glittered like silver starlight. Sarah had caught Mylan's eye as soon as she stepped inside the cavern, and he urged her to come enjoy the hospitality of his people. Now she was following him down a sparkling tunnel as she gazed about in wonder. Sir Didymus caught up to her quickly and they grinned at each other when Mylan wasn't looking in their excitement over this new adventure. Sarah's smile lit up her whole face, and Didymus couldn't help but to spare a thought for his smitten king.

As for the king himself, Jareth lingered back for a moment and listened to the conversations taking place as the creatures scurried around making preparations for the feast and for rooms for their guests. It had been a long time since he had encountered one of the Mystagogs, for that was what the purple creatures were called, in person. His unannounced arrival was sure to cause chaos. He privately admitted to himself that he was looking forward to it.

"Lady Sarah, this space has been prepared for you," Mylan said. He gestured politely to an opening only about as half as tall as Sarah to his left. Sarah nodded politely in return and gingerly crawled through the opening even though she had her misgivings. Inside she was delighted to find a small room carved out of the rock, glittering and all lit up just like the tunnels, but with a small cushioned bed on the floor, a stack of thick, comfortable-looking purple blankets, and best of all, a carved sink full of steaming water that poured in from an underground spring.

"Is it satisfactory, Lady Sarah?" Mylan called through the opening.

"Mylan, it is wonderful. Thank you so much," Sarah answered graciously. The opportunity to really wash up and to rest on a soft bed cheered her immensely.

Mylan's face stretched into a wide smile. "Excellent. When you have rested and are refreshed, just follow the tunnel down to the large cavern at the end. We are preparing a feast for you now." He turned to Didymus. "Come, Sir Knight, I will show you to your quarters next."

Didymus poked his head into Sarah's chamber. "Will you be alright alone, my Lady?" he asked quietly. "I know you would probably like some privacy to wash and dress before the feast, but I hesitate to leave you without a guard."

"Thank you, Sir Didymus, but I think it will be fine. Especially since our _friend_ has joined us," Sarah answered in a whisper. She didn't know why Jareth hadn't shown himself yet, but she knew he was still nearby. Oddly, she realized that made her feel confident and secure in that strange but beautiful place.

"Very well," the gallant knight replied with a little tip of his hat. Didymus scampered back through the cavern opening. Sarah could hear the echoes of his voice fading away as he and Mylan traveled further down the tunnel.

Sarah sighed and sank down onto the soft bed on the floor. She loved being with her friends, but it was nice to just be alone and enjoy the quiet for a moment. She stretched out languidly and admired how even the ceiling of the cavern sparkled in the dim light.

"What a beautiful place this is," she murmured softly to herself. _And what a nice feast we are likely to have too_ , she thought hungrily. "I'd better get washed up," she sighed, reluctant to leave the comfortable spot, but hungry enough to be motivated. Ruefully she realized she had only brought the clothes she was wearing; even if she was clean she'd have to put the same garments back on. " _Oh well, can't be helped_ ," she thought quickly. " _There are things I can do something about, and things that I can't do anything about. This is one of the things I can't do anything about, so there's no point in wasting energy getting upset about it_ ," she said to herself. As the realization washed over her, she felt a little glow of pride.

"Maybe I'm starting to figure things out after all - I think I'm even getting smarter! Or maybe at least growing up," she said to no one in particular, then giggled at her silliness. She smoothed her hair back away from her forehead and splashed her hands and face with the soothingly warm water. To her delight she noticed a little silver bottle that contained a sweet-smelling soap near the basin along with a little stack of folded green cloths. Sarah glanced behind her and noticed that there was a cover she could secure over the cavern door. She quickly secured it and, after taking another quick look around to make sure she was totally alone and that there were no other openings to her chamber, darted out of her clothes to rinse and scrub her body with the perfumed soap and towels. It felt wonderful to be clean and she reveled in the warm water. However, before too long she started to be afraid that if she lingered any longer they would all be waiting on her for dinner, and quickly toweled off with one of the dry cloths. If only she had some clean clothes to put on.

Turning around to grab up her tunic, she gasped to see a purple bundle neatly folded on the soft bed where she had been resting mere moments before she washed up. There was a simple folded note on top, which Sarah quickly snatched up to read.

 _Sarah,_

 _The Mystagogs (for they are your hosts) can be rather formal about their table manners, so I took the liberty of providing this for you for dinner. I hope it is to your liking._

 _Jareth_

Standing there alone and wrapped only in a towel, something about reading a note from Jareth made Sarah blush from her head to the tips of her toes. She felt a rush of conflicting emotions – gratitude, confusion, a little bit of embarrassment. How could he have known exactly what she needed? What was she in for with these Mystagogs anyway? And were she and the Goblin King really on a first name only basis now?

Sarah was dying of curiosity and reached for the bundle. As she started to unfold it, she realized it was a gown. She started trying to downplay whatever significance Jareth giving her a dress could have.

"I must have looked worse for wear than I thought. He's probably just afraid I would look ridiculous after declaring myself a Champion of the – oh!" Sarah couldn't help but gasp as she shook out the folds of the gown to fully reveal it. The dress was simple but elegant – a bodice of dark lavender velvet that laced up the front with silver ribbon and a lighter lavender undergown with long sleeves over a long straight lavender skirt. Sarah held the dress against her body and marveled at its perfect fit. The velvet was downy soft and the lighter lavender sleeves and skirt had a subtle shimmer that reflected the light from the cavern walls. Without wasting any time Sarah slipped into the dress and tightened the laces on the bodice. The dress felt just a like a dream, fitting perfectly and moving with her as she did a little twirl alone in her chamber. Oh, what a lovely gift!

She wished for a mirror so she could see herself properly, but there wasn't one in the chamber. She leaned over the basin, but she could only faintly see her reflection in the warm water due to the muted light. Smiling, she thought about a hairstyle she had learned when her school had done a Shakespeare play the year before. She dampened her thick hair slightly and separated it into two sections. She coiled the front of each section back and then created a French braid with each section, then rejoined the ends in a soft bun at the nape of her neck. A few wavy strands hung loose around her face, framing her green eyes. She couldn't really see the effect, but she felt very regal. Very grown-up. Almost as an afterthought, she grabbed her favorite chapstick out of her bag and smoothed a little over her lips as a finishing touch.

She stood up and prepared to head back into the tunnels. She suddenly felt a little self-conscious about being so dressed up – but hadn't Jareth said that was the right thing to do in this place? She had to just trust that he was right this time.

The velvet bodice made a little "v" shape at her neckline, and Sarah noticed with surprise that it was just low enough to reveal her owl necklace. She thought about Mylan's reaction to it earlier and wondered if her pretty gift from Karen had some significance she hadn't yet grasped. What would have happened if she hadn't been wearing it- would they be prisoners instead of guests now? Who were these Mystagogs anyway?

Well, she wouldn't get any answers hiding in her chamber. " _Time for dinner_ ," Sarah thought, and strode down the tunnel toward the sound of clinking glasses and the hum of voices.


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Hello readers! I know it has been a while since we had a new chapter, but this one is LONG! Please read and review! xoxo**

Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo were all clustered around one corner of a huge grey table in a large open cavern toward the back of the tunnels. Though the rest of the table was still empty, there were tantalizing food aromas floating through the tunnels and wafting their way over to the eager group of friends.

"Sure am hungry," Hoggle said wistfully. "Might have even been worth getting captured if that food tastes half as good as it smells."

"Fortunately you can enjoy it shortly as a free dwarf, Sir Hoggle," Sir Didymus said with a proud air.

"I hope it's sooner rather than later," Hoggle grumbled. "Maybe these guys aren't so bad though. It was a darned nice little cavern they gave me to get cleaned up."

"Mine was as well," Sir Didymus agreed.

"Rocks here are nice," Ludo chimed in, admiring the shining wall.

"Yes, this is indeed a beautiful part of the Open Lands. I am glad our journey brought us this way," Sir Didymus said. Just as he finished speaking, Mylan and several other Mystagogs entered the cavern from one of the many long tunnels.

"I am happy to hear that you are enjoying your time here," Mylan said. "I hope your quarters were all to your liking."

"Oh yes," Hoggle replied. "Very nice."

"Good," Mylan said, nodding in satisfaction. "Perhaps we can put the unfortunate misunderstandings from earlier behind us then, and enjoy this meal together."

"Great idea!" Hoggle nearly cheered. Sir Didymus stifled a chuckle at his enthusiasm – apparently the promise of a good meal went a long way in making Hoggle more friendly.

"But before we start, where is your charming Champion?" Mylan asked. "Has she not yet arrived?"

Suddenly, Jareth, accompanied by Bumper and Stumps, appeared behind Mylan, between him and the other Mystagogs. Jareth was in full Goblin King regalia, with his black cape streaming behind him and his symbol of office prominently displayed on his chest. The Mystagogs behind Mylan all gasped in unison.

"I'm sure Sarah will be joining us shortly," Jareth said in his baritone voice. Mylan jumped in surprise, his eyes becoming huge saucers and his mouth forming a round "O" in shock. Bumper and Stumps giggled as though they had never seen anything funnier. "In the meantime, perhaps I will be an adequate dinner guest?"

"Oh, s-s-Sir, I mean Your Majesty, of course!" Mylan was babbling. "What an honor that you would join us!"

"I thought it appropriate since you have been kind enough to entertain my Champion and her companions," Jareth said in a smooth, agreeable tone. He had heard rumors that the Mystagogs were starting to claim the Silver Ravine as their own Kingdom, which was not permitted since it was a part of the Open Lands, and was intended to be a home for any free people that wished to live there as well as a path for travelers to cross without fear of encroaching on any borders. He was pleased that Sarah had inadvertently given him a reason to visit to investigate the situation for himself.

Hoggle and Ludo were just as surprised as the Mystagogs that Jareth had arrived, but Sir Didymus merely stifled another giggle. He'd had a feeling when Jareth didn't follow them into the tunnels that he had some surprise planned. Didymus was truly glad the king had shown up when he did – he wasn't quite sure he totally trusted the Mystagogs. Didymus hadn't missed Mylan's nervousness when Jareth suddenly joined them. Now, Jareth could make anyone feel uneasy when he was in the right mood for it- but Didymus couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't more to it than that.

All of the Mystagogs were rushing around making even more last-minute preparations for the dinner. It was enough that they were hosting a Champion before – but now they had a royal guest! For his part, Jareth stood to the side casually, leaning against the cavern wall. He was taller than any of the Mystagogs by at least six inches, and cut an imposing figure in his black leather. He wanted to see what was going on in the Silver Ravine, but he also wondered when Sarah would show up. He wondered whether she would wear the dress he had sent her. Finally, he sat down at the table and the other creatures followed suit.

Just when Jareth wondered how much more he could possibly wonder, Sarah appeared from the entryway of one of the tunnels. Her face was slightly flushed and a few curling tendrils of hair around her face were still damp, but in her elegant lavender dress she was nothing short of stunning. Every single creature in the cavern turned to look as she entered. Hoggle's jaw dropped in shock, but Sir Didymus smiled proudly.

"I hope I haven't kept everyone waiting," Sarah said, suddenly shy.

"Not at all, fair Lady," Mylan said obsequiously. "You honor us by dressing for the occasion."

"And here I thought I was going to make the most memorable entrance of the evening," Jareth said drily. He was secretly grateful for the opportunity to make a sarcastic comment. His throat felt dry as rose from his seat to walk over to Sarah and offer her his hand. She placed her palm in his with only the slightest hesitation and inclined her head gracefully to him. He led her to the seat to his right and drew out the chair for her. As she stepped in front of him to sit down, he leaned close to her and whispered "I'm glad you wore it. It suits you. " Stepping away from her, he returned her slight bow and re-seated himself at the table.

Sarah felt like all eyes were on her, and she wasn't wrong. Sarah couldn't stop the blush from rising in her cheeks, but what she didn't realize was that it only drew more attention to her sparkling eyes and added to her overall innocent appeal. She thought she should say something appropriate, but for a few minutes decided the best course of action was to study the empty plate in front of her as though it were a work of art.

Mylan tapped a bell and another one of the Mystagogs appeared in the entryway. "Now that all of our guests are here, Myrvin, please let's go ahead and serve the dinner. We don't want any of our guests to go hungry, after all!"

Myrvin, a smaller Mystagog who appeared to be the head servant, acknowledged Mylan's request with a low bow and scurried off into the tunnel behind him. In moments he reappeared with several other Mystagog servants bearing trays of all kinds of delicacies. There were fruits like dates stuffed with nuts and cheese; tiny savory tarts filled with shredded meat and dressings; steaming dishes of hot dips and thick breads to go with them; and goblets filled with a sweet red liquid. Sarah was grateful that everyone's attention was immediately diverted to the food as soon as it arrived. As they ate more Mystagogs carried out carved slices of roasted meats and bowls of something that reminded Sarah of mashed potatoes, but with a slight nutty sweetness like squash. Everyone ate and enjoyed happily, especially Sarah and her companions. After several days on the quest with not much besides old granola bars and apples, the feast seemed almost like a dream. The cavern soon became animated with conversation and laughter as everyone relaxed and enjoyed the meal.

For his part, however, Jareth remained mostly silent. He ate neatly and politely, and always responded when addressed directly, but otherwise was not very open. Sarah was seated between him and Sir Didymus, who was charmingly telling old war stories for most of the dinner to the amused Mystagogs across from him. Sarah kept stealing glances over at Jareth, wondering what he was thinking. Finally she decided to just start the conversation herself. She leaned in a little closer to him so she could speak softly without anyone else at the table overhearing them, placing her hand gently on his forearm to get his attention. He swiveled his head around to her quickly, but his features were careful not to show any surprise.

"I wanted to thank you for this, for the dress I mean, and for letting me know what was appropriate," Sarah said sincerely. "I would have felt out of place at a formal dinner like this in my dirty clothes."

Jareth regarded her steadily for a moment without answering. Finally he spoke. "You are welcome, of course," he replied. "It's one thing for you to go on this quest. But if you are going to start publicly declaring yourself Champion of _my_ Labyrinth, you need to look the part."

"Oh," Sarah said, somewhat abashedly. She withdrew her hand from his arm. "I didn't know you had heard that part."

"I was looking in on you, as we agreed that I would, at an opportune time," Jareth admitted.

"Look, I only said that about being Champion because Mylan asked me about you. He seemed to somehow realize that we knew you already," Sarah said, a little defensively. "I didn't know what else to say and Hoggle and Sir Didymus were in trouble."

"No, Sarah, don't try to explain," Jareth said, sighing slightly. "You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, you handled the situation admirably."

"I did?" Sarah said, a little surprised at the unexpected praise.

"Yes," Jareth said frankly. "You stayed calm and talked your friends out of a dangerous situation where you were greatly outnumbered, and all you did was tell the truth. You were very convincing."

"Oh, well…thanks," Sarah said, lowering her eyes a little.

"I didn't mean to speak harshly before," Jareth said awkwardly. "You must understand that it has been quite some time since there has been a Champion of the Labyrinth, and even longer than that since one returned to the Underground. It is a rather celebrated role, and one that has not been filled for a long time."

"Really?" Sarah asked, intrigued. "So no one else has gotten what they wished away to you back in a long time?"

Jareth hesitated a little. "It is not quite that simple," he tried to explain. "Some others have had what they wished for returned to them, but they were not Champions. They did not defeat the Labyrinth – or the King."

"Oh," replied Sarah, feeling a little awkward again. She really had no idea what that meant, but she couldn't bring herself to ask a follow-up question.

"In addition to that, you are young, and human, and female," Jareth continued. "Not to mention that you are – well. It is little wonder that you may attract attention in the Underground once you reveal your identity." He cleared his throat and took a sip from his goblet, temporarily diverting his gaze from Sarah. Sarah looked back down at her plate, biting her bottom lip. She desperately wanted to know what Jareth had stopped himself from saying. Her mind was spinning with all the questions she had about the Labyrinth too – but suddenly one became very important. Jareth was looking away from her but she tried to get his attention back.

"Jareth, how did Mylan know that we were associated with you anyway?" Sarah asked curiously. "How could he tell just by looking at me?"

Jareth paused before answering. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Sarah found out about the necklace, but he wasn't sure how she would react if he told her. Fortunately for him, just as he was opening his mouth to answer her Mylan interrupted.

"Your Majesty!" Mylan exclaimed. "As our guest of honor, it would give us the greatest pleasure if you would say a few words as the dessert courses are prepared. Perhaps you could give us some news of the Underground – we are very isolated here, and hear little about what goes on in the other kingdoms."

Jareth raised his eyebrows at Mylan's choice of words. "The "other kingdoms," Mylan?" he asked casually. "Surely you mean the other kingdoms outside the Open Lands, of course, since there are no kingdoms in the Open Lands."

Another of the Mystagogs (Sarah thought it might be the female one that had whispered to Mylan earlier) looked like she wanted to protest what Jareth said, but Mylan hurriedly quieted her. "Oh, yes of course, of course the kingdoms outside the Open Lands. Please, give us some news."

All eyes turned to Jareth and the room became quiet. Jareth leaned back in his chair elegantly and steepled his fingers. "Well, as you probably know, there isn't as much interaction as there used to be in the old days. There are fewer of us, and for the most part we are less active, more prone to remaining in our own lands. But of course," and now he leaned forward, smiling slightly, "we do make time to meet about important issues." The tips of his pointed teeth gleamed slightly. Sarah could sense Jareth's suspicion and the potential threat implied by his words. She felt a little regretful that she had been lulled into thinking the Mystagogs were trustworthy because of the beautiful surroundings, her warm bath, and the feast they had provided. There was a slight tension in the air as the lull in dinner conversation continued.

"I have a question, actually," Sarah said suddenly. "We are very grateful for your hospitality, of course, but why were you trying to capture us to begin with?"

"Oh, we are sorry about that, of course. We would never have treated you that way had we known who you were," Mylan started to explain apologetically. "You see, we have had problems with certain other groups raiding our territory," Mylan sniffed. "You expect some of that living so close to the water people, but lately we've really had an issue with raiding parties of warrior dwarves." Hoggle's ears perked up at the mention of dwarves, but Sarah's quick glance warned him to keep quiet about their journey. "But of course, we could see that you weren't the water people, and there is only one dwarf among you. When we noticed your rock caller though, we knew you must be someone important."

All of Sarah's friends looked at Ludo in surprise. "You mean Sir Ludo?" Didymus asked.

The Mystagogs all laughed heartily as if Sir Didymus had just told a very funny joke. As they continued to laugh, even the goblins began to look uneasy.

"Oh!" Mylan cried, wiping tears from his eyes. "Sir Ludo! How funny." Sarah glanced over at Jareth and noticed that his face had become very cold. For his part, Ludo was glancing around in confusion.

"Huh?" he asked, his fuzzy brows furrowing.

"What exactly is funny?" Sarah said indignantly. She felt her temper starting to rise.

"Why, the joke the noble fox told, of course!" Mylan said, waving his wrist in the air. "Using an honorific title for a beast like that!"

The Mystagogs continued to laugh and chatter, but there was dead silence at Sarah's end of the table. Hoggle's jaw was hanging open in shock, but Bumper and Stumps looked angry. Their eyes began to turn red.

"Rock callers, sadly, are far too stupid to survive on their own. They are excellent workers, of course, but then you must know that already, since you have one as your servant," Mylan continued blithely to Sarah.

"Ludo's not stupid, and he's not my servant!" Sarah cried. Jareth started to intervene, but then decided to wait to see what she would do.

"He's not?" Mylan asked, genuinely shocked. "Then why would you have such a dirty, disgusting beast in your traveling party?"

"Because he is our friend!" Sarah exclaimed, incensed, as she stood up from her seat. "And he isn't dirty or disgusting! He has been a true companion and helper on our journey!"

"Your friend?" Mylan asked, aghast. "Surely you are joking?"

"Of course not!" Sarah cried. Suddenly everyone in the cavern was talking. Hoggle and Sir Didymus were shouting their defense of Ludo while the Mystagogs pointed and whispered to one another. Poor Ludo just sat quietly while Bumper and Stumps crawled onto his shoulders and made menacing faces at the Mystagogs. The situation was becoming chaotic when all at once one voice cut through the noise.

"Mylan." Jareth's tone was deadly cold. Everyone stopped to look at him. His voice was like a magnet picking up pins. "Do you have any other rock callers here?"

"Other rock callers!" Mylan tried to laugh, but Sarah could sense his nervousness and hesitation. "Surely you know, Goblin King, that the rock callers are nearly extinct."

"I am aware of that," Jareth said icily. "And surely you know that the Goblin Kingdom is a refuge for all creatures who find themselves without a people or without a home. It is the reason why Sarah's companion Ludo lives in the Labyrinth. Under my protection." Jareth stood up and leaned forward so that his gloved hands rested on the table and his face drew close to Mylan's. Hoggle gulped audibly.

"But you didn't answer my question," Jareth said. "I will only ask once more. Do you have any other rock callers here?"

Mylan shrank away from Jareth's cold stare and trembled as he answered. "Yes!"

Sarah gasped and looked at Ludo. He had a look of shocked hopefulness that Sarah had never seen on his face before.

"Where are they?" Jareth demanded.

"You have to understand, we needed their help," Mylan was moaning. "We had all these tunnels to complete, and it takes forever to carve the rock ourselves…"

"So you forced innocent beasts to do your work for you?" Jareth growled. "Have you been holding them against their will?"

"We have always treated them well!" Mylan cried, withering in the face of Jareth's wrath.

"You fool!" the female Mystagog said to Mylan. "Don't tell him anything else!" Her voice was shrill. The other Mystagogs were all beginning to talk at once, some of them in angry voices.

Everyone was out of their chairs now. Hoggle regretted that it was clear that the promised dessert course was never going to be served.

"You will take us to the rock callers at once," Jareth was saying forcefully. Sir Didymus was standing on the table, all knightly decorum forgotten, insisting he would fight anyone who tried to imprison his brother Ludo.

In the din and confusion, Sarah was doubly glad that Jareth was with them. There were way more of the Mystagogs than there were of her friends. She looked around to try to reassure Ludo, but when she turned her head to look behind her, there was no sign of her shaggy friend. Ludo, Bumper, and Stumps were gone.

"Ludo!" Sarah gasped.


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Here's a new chapter, hope you all enjoy it! Please read and review! Oh, and Happy Halloween!**

"Ludo!" Sarah gasped. In all the confusion, Ludo, Bumper, and Stumps had disappeared. She whipped her head back in Mylan's direction and was horrified to see that the Mystagogs had started to group together behind Mylan, all semblance of propriety from the formal dinner forgotten. With dismay she suddenly noticed the long claws and pointed teeth that many of the Mystagogs bore. The female Mystagog pushed her way past Mylan and snarled at Jareth.

"We've had enough of your interference here, Goblin King!" she sneered. "You and your Champion must leave at once!" Her voice made an insult of Sarah's title.

"You have admitted that you have broken the rules of the Underground," Jareth replied sternly. "As a monarch of the Underground, I have every right to _interfere_."

Mylan grabbed at the female Mystagog's arm feebly. "Selise, calm down," he pleaded. "Goblin King, let's just pretend this never happened. We have apologized for capturing your Champion and tried to make amends. Why don't you just return to the Labyrinth and leave us here in peace?"

"I will not," Jareth declared. "This has gone too far. You should have known you'd never get away with something like this."

Selise laughed bitterly. "You have no idea what we've 'gotten away with', Goblin King," she spat.

Sarah listened with growing anxiety. She knew there was more going on than she had realized, but all she could think about was Ludo and her goblin friends. She glanced to her side and realized that the Mystagogs were now blocking all of the tunnels except one that was slightly behind her and to her right. She took a step back and pretended to hide behind Jareth.

Jareth gave her a slight sideways glance. He knew she wouldn't back down from the confrontation, but he spread his cape protectively and tossed his head back in defiance as the Mystagogs, egged on by Selise's comments, continued to shout and protest, some of them arguing loudly with one another. As if on cue, one of them started throwing food and suddenly the cavern erupted into a food fight. Sarah gratefully knelt down, partially hidden by the cape. She grabbed Sir Didymus down from one of the tables and gathered him and Hoggle to her as if she was frightened.

"Hoggle, Sir Didymus, we need to make a break for that tunnel," Sarah whispered.

"You suggest that we run from battle, my Lady?!" Didymus exclaimed in a whisper.

"No, that's not it – but we have to find Ludo and the goblins! They may be in danger!" Sarah whispered back. "Plus we have to find the other rock callers if we can and set them free!"

"She's right, Didymus," Hoggle whispered. "Besides, Jareth can take this crowd without our help!"

Jareth's pointed ears pricked up. As he expertly dodged a plate of the nut tarts that was thrown in his direction, deflecting it with his left hand, he formed a crystal in the right hand.

"I certainly can," he muttered to himself. Suddenly he twisted, cape whipping behind him.

"Go now!" he hissed at Sarah, glancing toward the tunnel.

"But aren't you – "Sarah started to protest, but Hoggle grabbed her hand and pulled.

"Go!" Jareth insisted. "Hogbrain is right, for once." He turned back around and smashed the crystal on the ground. A huge cloud of smoke and glitter filled the cavern, obscuring the tunnel as Sarah, Hoggle, Didymus, and Ambrosius escaped.

"I can handle this crowd," he said darkly.

Sarah and her friends raced down the tunnel. Hoggle was coughing as his little legs struggled to keep up the pace.

"Glitter? Really?" he grumbled as he ran.

"Don't complain, Sir Hoggle," Didymus called back. "That glitter just gave us quite a head start,"

Sarah felt a pang of guilt for leaving Jareth behind, but he had told her to run. "Do you think Jareth will be okay back there?" she asked breathlessly as she ran.

"He will be fine, my Lady," Didymus reassured her.

"He's probably just excited you finally did something he asked you to," Hoggle said sarcastically.

Sarah shot Hoggle a sardonic glance and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's stick to finding our friends. Ludo!" she called. "Bumper! Stumps!" Her voice echoed down the long tunnel.

"We don't even know if this is the right tunnel, or if those Mystagogs took them!" Hoggle cried.

"Even if it's not the right tunnel, they've got to all connect somewhere," Sarah replied.

"Or we could be running into a dead end," Didymus cautioned. Ambrosius was panting.

"We've just got to keep going," Sarah said. "Ludo!"

Suddenly they all skidded to a stop as they came to a fork in the tunnel.

"Oh no, which way!" Hoggle cried.

"This seems familiar," Sarah said wryly. "Except this time I don't even have any funny guards to give me hints."

Left or right, both tunnels looked exactly the same – walls of glittering rock lit with the now eerie-seeming greenish glow of the mushrooms. The sound of footsteps running down the tunnel behind them suddenly filled the air.

"They're catching up!" Hoggle cried.

"We've just got to pick one and hope for the best!" Sarah, grabbing Hoggle's hand. "Run!"

Sarah decided to pick the tunnel on her right. Didymus and Ambrosius dutifully followed her. The tunnel began to narrow and soon Sarah realized they were going slightly uphill. The tunnel turned into a stairway of carved rocks, all glittering in the dim green light.

"I don't think I can take much more of this," Hoggle moaned. "My legs are killing me!"

"Quick, up there! There's an opening to the side!" Sarah cried, pointing to a half-circle carved out of the side of the wall. Sarah bent down to give Hoggle a boost up into the half-circle opening when suddenly Bumper appeared in the opening.

"Lady and other friends!" he cried joyfully.

"Bumper!" Sarah exclaimed. "Are you okay? Are Stumps and Ludo here too?"

"Come see what we have found!" Bumper was dancing with excitement. He darted back and forth across the opening as Sarah helped boost Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ambrosius inside. She then found a foothold part of the way up the wall, and struggled to pull herself up into the opening until Bumper and Hoggle grabbed her arms and helped her crawl inside.

The opening was not very deep – it was almost like a small storage space carved out of the rock and nearly forgotten. But there was a grate in the bottom where they could see into a deep cavern below them. Inside the cavern, Sarah was shocked to see three rock callers with shaggy coats and kind eyes just like her beloved friend. Two were grey, but one was reddish like Ludo, though slightly smaller.

"My Lady," Didymus said sorrowfully. "See, they are in chains." Sarah was horrified to realize he was right – all three rock callers wore heavy collars and appeared to be chained to the cavern walls by cruel manacles on long chains. They were able to move around, but not leave the cavern.

Suddenly Sarah saw movement in one of the other tunnels that accessed the cavern. Ludo emerged with Stumps riding on his shoulder! He immediately made his way over to one of the grey rock callers and to everyone's surprise began to speak in a hooting language that none of the rest of them understood.

"Ludo!" Sarah cried joyfully. "But how did he and Stumps get down there, Bumper?"

"Came in another tunnel, Lady, one down below," Bumper said. "But I heard running running foots and climbed up here to see who was coming."

"That was clever, Bumper," Sarah said, smiling. "Can we get down there from here?"

"I don't believe we can go back down the tunnel we came in from, my Lady," Didymus answered. "We know we were being followed, and we don't know who we might run into if we tried to get down to that lower tunnel."

"Climb down like me," Bumper suggested. He lifted the grate out of the floor and nimbly scrambled through the opening and down the wall. "Hey Ludo friend!" he called as he climbed down. "I found other friends!"

Ludo and Stumps looked up happily. "Sawah!" Ludo called up to her. "Need help fwiends! Fwiends like me!"

"We'll help you, Ludo!" Sarah called. "But I don't think I can climb down like Bumper." She estimated it was at least twenty feet from the opening created by removing the grate to the floor of the cavern – too far to risk jumping without injury.

"If we could get part of the way down, my Lady, I believe Sir Ludo could catch us," Didymus suggested.

"Oh boy," Hoggle moaned, looking down. "But that seems to be the best idea. We can't stay here, not when those clawed bug-eyed Mystagogs could show up any minute. I guess it's a good thing I hung onto this," he said. To Sarah's amazement, he pulled the silvery rope that had trapped him earlier out of his knapsack.

"Hoggle! You're amazing!" Sarah cried. "How on earth did you manage to hide that away?"

"Well, I liked the look of it, you know. I've got an eye for pretty things," Hoggle said modestly. "The Mystagogs took the net part away when they let us out, but they left the hanging rope coiled up in a pile. So when you were giving your speech to old Mylan, I just tucked it away for safekeeping."

"You clever dwarf!" Sarah said admiringly, giving him a quick hug. Hoggle blushed with pleasure but shrugged off her compliments as he always did.

"Alright," Sarah said, making the sturdiest knot she could. She was suddenly grateful for all the times her father had insisted on dragging her along when he went fishing. The rope was very fine and smooth as she worked it with nimble fingers, securing it on the hook where the grate attached to the floor. "Ludo, are you ready?" she called down.

From below in the cavern, Ludo nodded. He stood directly under the grate with his furry arms extended.

Sarah took a deep breath and gripped the rope tightly. "Well, here we go," she said as she jumped.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Hi readers! Thank you so much for sticking with this story! I'm still trying to update weekly but sometimes life gets busy! A special thank you goes to all of you who reviewed the last few chapters - your feedback really helps me! I read every review and reply to all of the registered users, so if you are reviewing as a guest, I would love to respond to you too! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Jareth allowed himself a satisfied grin as the smoke and glitter began to clear around him. He had heard Sarah and her companions make a run for the tunnel he had indicated. Not only would Sarah be safe now, she had actually trusted him enough to take his advice – at least this once.

Not that it was really a difficult choice for her, given the circumstances. He was totally surrounded by the Mystagogs now except that he kept his back to the open tunnel so that none of them could give chase to Sarah and her friends. With all pretense of friendliness dropped, the Mystagogs looked sinister indeed, with their glowing green eyes and long claws. However, truth be told, the Mystagogs, with no magical powers of their own and no way to sap Jareth's magical powers (unlike the griffin wasps), stood no chance against a powerful sorcerer like Jareth. Jareth suspected that the more intelligent among them knew this, meaning they would either run away quickly or become desperate fast. Since he now had clear evidence that they were breaking the rules of the Underground hidden away in the Silver Ravine, they had to understand that things were about to change for them as soon as he could report back to the High Council.

Though he knew it was his responsibility, and he would be happy to see the Mystagogs punished for keeping forced laborers, Jareth internally rolled his eyes at the thought of having to reach out. "Well, at least it's for a good cause," he thought to himself.

"Now, where were we," Jareth asked, grinning dangerously. "Ah, yes, I recall – after epically failing as dinner hosts, you were about to take me to the rock callers you are holding captive so that I may free them immediately."

Mylan hung his head in shame and started to answer, but Selise pushed past him and confronted the Goblin King with eyes blazing.

"You can forget about that, Goblin King!" she sneered. "And you are one guest that has severely overstayed his welcome! We don't need any sorcerers here!" A few ragged cheers were heard in the crowd. Jareth simply raised one eyebrow at her with his hands on his hips.

"Is that so?" he purred. "But I was so looking forward to showing you a few of my _tricks_." As he spoke he twisted his wrist and suddenly a crystal appeared in his right hand. He couldn't help feeling satisfied as every Mystagog took a step back, including Selise. She momentarily became reasonable.

"Look, Goblin King, we just want to be left alone out here. We didn't ask for any trouble from any of the kingdoms," Selise said, eyeing the crystal warily.

"Wrong," Jareth answered crisply. "By interfering with travel through the Open Lands, by attempting to form your own kingdom in lands that are dedicated to remain free, and of course, by holding other creatures against their will to perform labor for you, you have asked for "trouble" over and over again. And now it is here," he said with a flourish, aiming the crystal squarely at Selise. She shrieked as he threw the crystal in her direction. The horrified Mystagogs looked on as Selise was instantly drawn into the crystal, which then boomeranged back to Jareth. He caught it neatly and looked on in amusement as Selise banged on the sides of the crystal with her hands to no avail. A few of the Mystagogs fled into one of the tunnels in terror.

"Selise!" Mylan wailed.

"Don't worry, Mylan," Jareth said calmly. "I will send her to the High Court myself and make sure that no harm comes to her. Of course, you may accompany her as another representative of your people."

"Accompany her?" Mylan asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes, Mylan," Jareth said quickly. "You must know you will have to answer for this. I can only suspect that your attempts to ingratiate yourself with my Champion were to try to throw me off your track."

"It wasn't my idea!" Mylan wailed. Jareth rolled his eyes and was about to capture Mylan in a second crystal when suddenly there was a loud rumbling noise behind them.

Jareth's eyes narrowed. "What was that?" he asked calmly.

"I – I don't know," Mylan answered in a shaky voice. The other nearby Mystagogs, who had been watching in a combination of fascination and horror as their leaders were easily taken captive by one man, suddenly began running for the tunnels. Smaller rocks began to bounce down the cavern walls, and the air was full of dust.

"Mylan! What is going on? Where are they going?" Jareth asked, grabbing at Mylan's collar. The rumbling became louder and the ground beneath Jareth's feet began to shake.

"They're running for our emergency exit tunnels - I think it's a cave-in," Mylan said in a trembling voice as he looked up at Jareth nervously.

"A cave-in?" Jareth cried out. He pushed Mylan away from himself and growled, "Take me to the rock callers at once, and _perhaps_ we can work out some kind of alternate punishment for you."

"Yes, of course King Jareth," Mylan stuttered obsequiously, flashing a nervous look at Selise who was apoplectic with rage inside her crystal prison. "This way, we must hurry!"

Sarah took a deep breath and gripped the rope tightly. "Well, here we go!" she thought to herself. She couldn't quite manage to keep her eyes open as she jumped off the ledge, but seconds later she was dangling in the air right above Ludo's open arms.

"Let go, Sawah!" he called.

"Okay, here I come!" Sarah called back. She unclenched her hands and Ludo caught her easily as she fell the few remaining feet into his outstretched arms.

"Oh Ludo, thank you!" Sarah said, hugging him and beaming.

"Welcome," Ludo replied, smiling his gentle smile back at her. "Now help fwiends!"

"Okay, I will start working on these chains while you get Hoggle and Sir Didymus down!" Sarah replied decisively.

As Hoggle pulled the rope back up to tie it around Sir Didymus, Bumper scampered down the cavern walls and hopped onto Sarah's shoulder. Even though she trusted the rock callers because Ludo had always been her friend, Sarah was a little nervous as she approached the first huge beast, one of the larger grey ones.

"Hi, I'm Sarah," she said tentatively. "I'm Ludo's friend and I'm here to help you."

The rock caller looked at her a little anxiously, but his eyes were gentle. He extended his arms in her direction so that Sarah could get a better look at his bonds. There was a heavy collar around his neck, and both wrists were bound with shackles attached to strong metal chains.

"Okay Lady, how do we open chains?" Bumper asked Sarah, studying the large and heavy padlock. There was a keyhole, but there were no keys anywhere in sight. Sarah looked up and saw that the chains were drilled right into the wall with long, sinister looking bolts.

"Well, I don't know yet, Bumper," Sarah said. "But don't worry," she said directly to the rock caller. "We're not going to leave you here like this," she reassured him.

Sarah heard the other two rock callers groan. She looked up and realized they were peering at her anxiously, so she hurriedly said "We're not going to leave any of you like this. I don't know how to fix it, but we're going to do it."

Once Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ambrosius had made it down safely to the cavern, they and Ludo all joined Sarah in examining the rock callers' chains.

"No one knows where the big key to this thing is?" Hoggle asked, holding up the padlock on the other grey rock caller's chains. Everyone shook their heads sadly.

"Well, can't say for sure, but I might be able to pick it," Hoggle said, surprising everyone.

"Hoggle! Do you know how to do that?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Sure, from time to time I've had to do it in the Labyrinth," Hoggle replied. "Mostly when I landed myself in an oubliette and needed to get into a broom closet. Now, what to use for a pick?" he mumbled to himself.

"I still have my penknife!" Sarah said excitedly. She quickly retrieved it from her bag and handed it to Hoggle.

"Hmm, this just might do it," Hoggle mused.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps nearby echoed throughout the chamber. There was a pause, and then the sound of rocks scattering.

"What was that?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

"My Lady, I believe our enemies may be approaching," Didymus said with characteristic excitement.

"We have to hurry!" Sarah cried. "Hoggle, please pick that lock as fast as you can!"

"I'm doin' my best," Hoggle grunted.

Ludo was communicating in a strange cooing language with the other two rock callers. Sarah was fascinated – why had she never guessed that Ludo had his own language before? - but felt frustrated that she couldn't do anything to help.

"Bumper, Stumps, could you two climb up and see if you can see who is coming in the tunnels?" she asked, desperate for something to do.

"Sure Lady," the helpful goblins answered, scampering up the walls as easily as walking. Sarah paced under them restlessly. She realized she was worried – worried about Jareth. If some of the Mystagogs were chasing after her and her friends, had they somehow gotten away from him? Could he be hurt, or have been taken prisoner?

" _Stop with the ridiculous thoughts, Sarah,"_ she chided herself mentally. "Jareth can handle the Mystagogs. Besides, the best way to help him would be to help ourselves right now."

"Aha!" Hoggle cried. "Got it!" He twisted the penknife and there was a satisfying click as the lock mechanism sprung open. With a little more effort, the heavy shackles came apart. The rock caller was still wearing the heavy metal collar around his neck, but now he could move freely.

"Way to go, Hoggle!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Yes, most excellently done, my brother!" Didymus cried.

Ludo gave a joyous cry and the two rock callers embraced. As he pulled away from Ludo, the grey rock caller looked down at Hoggle with grateful eyes, and extended his paw gently as if to shake hands. Hoggle took it with some trepidation, but they shook hands all the same.

"Murdo," the rock caller said, gesturing to himself.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Murdo," Hoggle said. "I'm Hoggle."

Murdo blinked his huge eyes and gently inclined his head in a slight bow.

"Great work Hoggle, but we still need to free the other two!" Sarah reminded everyone.

"Alright, alright, let me see what I can do," Hoggle said quickly, moving over to the second grey rock caller. She crooned anxiously but Murdo and Ludo reassured her. The younger rock caller, red like Ludo, looked on with interest. It was clear she couldn't wait to be free of her chains.

Suddenly Bumper and Stumps reappeared, sticking their heads into the cavern from one of the tunnel openings.

"Lady!" they called down. "The Mystagogs are coming!"

"Oh no! How many?" Sarah asked.

"Not sure. Just heard the voices and the footsteps. They are scared," Stumps said. The goblins clambered down and landed easily in front of Sarah. "We closed the grates on two tunnels so they could not follow us, so maybe will take longer for them to reach here."

"Great job!" Sarah exclaimed.

"More good news, Lady," Bumper said with a grin.

"We found the way out!" Stumps said, grinning even wider.

"You did?" Sarah asked happily. "Oh, clever goblins! Where is it?"

"If you go in here," Bumper said, gesturing to the nearest opening on the left, "you run through three tunnels (he said as he ran in place), then up two staircases (as he jumped up and down), and finally you come to the outside," he said triumphantly, throwing his arms open wide.

"Great job!" Sarah said, scooping up the two little goblins and kissing each of their heads. They grinned at each other and blushed as she set them back down.

"Oh ho, if only Kingy could see that!" Stumps chortled.

"Better be glad he didn't, unless you like the Bog," Hoggle grumbled. "There! Finally got it," he said, as the other grey rock caller's shackles fell off. She cooed happily and embraced Ludo and Murdo before extending her paw to Hoggle as Murdo had done.

"Lura," she said politely. Hoggle shook hands again, smiling.

"Just one more," he said, quickly moving on to the third rock caller. She beamed at him with large brown eyes framed with huge lashes.

"Alright, we need a plan," Sarah said. The footsteps and voices were getting louder, and they still didn't know how many Mystagogs might show up at any minute.

"My Lady, may I suggest that you, Murdo, Lura, and the goblins head for the exit?" Didymus said cautiously. "Hoggle must stay here until the third rock caller is free, and I and Brother Ludo will guard him should the Mystagogs show up."

"Oh, I hate to leave you!" Sarah said. "Can't I help too?"

"I believe our priority should be freeing these creatures that have been so wronged," Didymus said solemnly. "And you may help them by leading them to safety."

"You're right," Sarah said with chagrin. "Catch up with us as soon as you can, please Didymus!"

"We will be right behind you," he said with a confident flourish.

"Alright, goblins," Sarah said, crouching down. "Ready to lead the way?"

"Ready, Lady!" Bumper and Stumps cheered. Sarah smiled at them and then straightened up. "Murdo, Lura? Will you come with us?" she asked, extending her hands.

The two rock callers looked a bit uneasy, but Ludo rumbled something to them and they appeared to agree, following Sarah and the goblins to the tunnel opening. Just as they were about to crawl inside, a group of Mystagogs finally appeared at the opening across from them.

"Stop!" they yelled. They began running at Hoggle as he tried to free the last rock caller, but Didymus jumped in front of him, brandishing his sword. The Mystagogs snarled and showed him their long claws.

"Hurry Murdo, Lura – into the tunnel! Bumper, Stumps, run for the exit!" Sarah cried.

Didymus took on one of the Mystagogs while Ludo roared at two others.

"Oh no oh no," Hoggle groaned, frantically trying to open the third rock caller's shackles.

Sarah realized with a shock that Ludo's angry roar had caused the cavern to shake as rocks fell down from the ceiling and the sides of the cavern. Murdo and Lura echoed back the same angry noise as they ran into the tunnel opening after Bumper and Stumps. Sarah knelt down and threw some of the rocks at the Mystagogs as they closed in on Didymus and Hoggle, remembering the time she first met Ludo. More Mystagogs had charged into the cavern after the first small group, but they were in disarray. "Cave in!" Sarah thought she heard one of them cry.

Suddenly one of the Mystagogs lunged at the third rock caller, trying to pull her away from Hoggle. Hoggle dodged the sharp claws, and Ludo roared louder than ever. The cavern walls shook harder, and the heavy iron bars holding the third rock caller's chains began to tremble as the anchoring rocks around them started to crumble. The third rock caller pulled hard, and her chains came loose.

"She's free! Hoggle, run for it!" Sarah screamed as she threw rocks. Hoggle and Didymus quickly ran to her side and the three of them ran into the tunnel. Ludo and the small rock caller were caught up in the battle and their fury, both roaring and calling more and more rocks down onto the Mystagogs. It was clear that the cavern wouldn't last much longer as Ludo and the smaller rock caller finally ran for the exit.

The tunnels were perilous as they all ran for safety. The first group had a good head start and Sarah could only barely hear them yelling back encouragement to her. The light from the mushrooms was flickering off and on as the tunnels shook, and it was hard for Sarah to see where to put her feet next. Didymus and Hoggle were smaller and quicker in the cramped space and soon almost caught up with the first group. Behind her, Sarah could hear Ludo and the other rock caller crooning to one another as they ran.

"Almost there, my Lady!" Didymus shouted back to her. "I can see the sunlight up ahead!"

Sarah hurried after the sound of his voice, but shrieked as she suddenly tripped over some of the fallen rocks. She hit the tunnel wall hard, but to her shock instead of solid rock she knocked open a grate. She was falling too fast to stop her forward motion and screamed as she felt through the grate and tumbled down another tunnel. Didymus and Hoggle were too far ahead to realize what had happened, and Ludo and the other rock caller ran right by the grate, thinking that Sarah was ahead of them.

Sarah couldn't help her screams of fear as she slid down the dark tunnel. She reached out frantically, trying to get a handhold or foothold, or to at least slow her fall, but to no avail. As she tumbled, she was aware she was going downhill at some angle, and that the walls of the tunnel were becoming wet. Suddenly there was a burst of green in front of her, and Sarah realized the tunnel was about to end, though she was still going way too fast and she had no way to know where the tunnel opened up. She only slowed herself a little bit, scraping her knuckles in the process. An instant later she was skidding through the tunnel opening into the air. The next moment, there was a tremendous splash as Sarah fell straight into a deep green lagoon.


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Hello readers! I know it has been a while since this story was updated and I thank you for your patience! My daughter was born six weeks ago and I had a bit of a long hospital stay, but we are both doing well now! I hope I will be able to start updating more frequently again soon!**

 **For those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all!**

Sarah barely had time to snatch a quick breath before plunging into the deep green water. Still clad in her lavender dinner gown, she thrashed in the water as the filmy material became heavy as it flowed underneath the surface. After a struggle she finally reached the air, thrusting her head above the water and breathing in deeply as she tossed her head back. She treaded water as she shook her head to clear the fog from it. Her long brown hair was soaked through and she pushed it back out of her eyes. Though the water was not cold, she found her teeth were chattering from the adrenaline of the experience. Already her legs were beginning to tire from the weight of her beautiful dress.

"I've got to get to the shore," Sarah thought desperately. Looking around, she realized that the underground lagoon was surrounded by a rocky beach filled with sharp stones and rocks. Some of them glistened and sparkled like the walls of the Silver Ravine, but others were grey or black. Sarah thought that the beach might be connected to the system of caves the Mystagogs lived in. Suddenly she recalled Mylan talking about the water people. With a shiver, she remembered Jareth and Didmus' warnings: _"Don't forget to avoid the water if you can. You know what to do." "There are rumors that unfriendly creatures live in the water, my brother."_

With a new fear welling up inside her, Sarah finally spotted a little cove with a rocky outcropping she could cling to. Gathering her strength and lungfuls of air, Sarah pushed herself through the water, struggling as she clawed at the rock for some foothold. Sighing with relief, she clung to the rocks and tried to rest until she could pull herself the rest of the way out of the water. She'd have to find a way to climb up the rocky wall into one of the cave tunnel openings, but she was already so tired.

Sarah grimaced and began to tear at her gown, trying to lessen its weight. She also wanted to create long strips of the material that she might be able to use to help navigate the rocky wall. She wished desperately that she knew where her friends were. Had they escaped in time? Would they be able to find her? As she frantically tore her beautiful skirt to shreds, suddenly she sensed movement in the water below her. In the corner of her eye she thought she saw a flash of green scales. The next instant, she felt something brush against her leg. She stifled a scream and clutched at the rocks, water streaming down her face from her soaked hair. Suddenly a deep laughter bubbled up from the surface of the water, bouncing off the cavern walls and echoing all around Sarah. Frozen with fear, Sarah could only watch as the creature emerged from the water.

Jareth slowly opened his eyes. In the shadowy darkness he could just barely make out that he was still in the Mystagog's caves. His head ached but when he went to rub it he found that his hands were shackled. His eyes widened in surprise and he sat up straight quickly, only to find Selise standing over him with a malicious grin on her face. Jareth groaned and slumped down. How irritating.

"Well well, Goblin King, looks like the tables have turned," Selise gloated smugly. Mylan hovered over her shoulder in the background, anxiously twisting his purple hands together.

"Indeed," Jareth replied boredly.

"Falling rocks from the cave in shattered your little crystal," Selise crowed. "Not to mention one of them conveniently knocked you out!"

"That at least partially explains my aching head," the Goblin King commented acerbically.

"Selise, I don't know about this –" Mylan started to say in a worried tone.

"Quiet!" Selise snapped. "You know he can't do anything to us as long as he's shackled with those iron manacles. I bet you didn't plan on that, Goblin King!" she sneered derisively.

"But what if the other rulers find out about what we have done?" Mylan whined. "We would be severely punished for this, and all of our plans would be ruined!"

"They won't find out," Selise snorted. "Who's going to tell them?"

"Did you not think I would?" Jareth asked with innocent eyes. "Because if my silence was part of your plan, I'm afraid you'll have to reassess," he continued sweetly.

"Oh, don't worry Goblin King," Selise said. "No one will be hearing from you again! Not once we hand you over to the Warrior Dwarves," she said ominously.

"What!?" cried Mylan. "That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Well, maybe I just never told you that part," Selise said, rolling her eyes. "We'll just let them know that the Goblin King was sending spies into the Dwarf Kingdom and see what they have to say about that."

"Spies?" Jareth asked angrily. "What are you talking about?"

"Of course, the little band of spies you were leading through the Silver Ravine," Selise said airily. "You even had a dwarf in the band to make it look legitimate, but of course we saw through your plan. Obviously you were trying to gather information to find out their weaknesses, so you could send your goblins in and take over!"

"That's ridiculous," Jareth tossed back, but he allowed a little uncertainty to creep into his voice. Goblin/dwarf relations weren't the warmest in the Underground.

"We'll just see what they have to say about that," Selise said darkly.

Meanwhile, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, Bumper, Stumps, Ludo, and the other rock-callers were just emerging from the Mystagog's caves. Each of them burst out of the darkness and into the sunlight, gasping with the effort of running through the cave-in, collapsing onto the green grass in relief. The rescued rock callers all stretched muscles that were tired from being chained and hugged their new friends gratefully.

"Whew!" cried Hoggle. "I didn't know if we were going to make it out of that one! That was close, eh Sarah?"

"Indeed, my Lady!" Didymus said, patting a panting Ambrosius.

When no answer came, both of them looked at each other in surprised concern.

"Sarah?!" Hoggle cried. "Where is she?"

"I thought she was right behind us!" Didymus fretted. "Oh no, I have failed our fair maiden!"

"Sawah lost?" Ludo asked with concern.

"Wait, Bumper and Stumps are missing too!" Hoggle said, looking around suddenly. "I hope they didn't get caught in the cave-in!"

"Perhaps they found King Jareth," Didymus said, but he couldn't keep the concern out of his voice.

"Did he get caught in the cave-in too?" Hoggle asked. "He wasn't with us in the tunnels."

"No, because he was trying to distract the Mystagogs so we could get away," Didymus said sadly. "I don't know how we can get back to him right now without risking running into the Mystagogs again. But if I know our King he will come out on top of whatever situation he is in."

"I hope the Mystagogs didn't capture Sarah!" Hoggle worried.

One of the rock callers, Lura, gestured urgently to Ludo. She emitted a series of grunts and croons that Ludo listened to intently. Ludo then turned to Didymus and Hoggle with worried big brown eyes.

"Lura thinks can find Sawah," he said somberly. "Lura saw grate in tunnel. Lura thinks Sawah must be with water people!"

"The water people!" Hoggle exclaimed. "Didymus, didn't you say they were unfriendly?"

"Unfriendly may have been an understatement," Didymus admitted with some trepidation. "But fear not! Our Sarah needs us, and we must go to her aid!"

The normally fearful Hoggle stood up straight. "Darn right," he said. "Sarah wouldn't let us down, so we can't let her down now!"

"That's the spirit!" Didymus cried. "Ludo, please ask our new friends to lead the way!"


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Hi readers! This is a short chapter, but I wanted to go ahead and post - I'll try to get another one done before this weekend! Please read and review, I love your feedback!**

With her heart in her throat, Sarah scrambled up the rocky black ledge as far as she could. Some of the stones had sharp, jagged edges and she felt them scraping against her bare legs where her shredded skirt had torn away. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where a creature was emerging from the water.

It was not what she expected.

The creature that slipped out from the depths with the deep bubbling laugh had creamy skin of a pale spring green and long teal-green hair that swirled around her smooth shoulders. She wore a small crown of blue-green shells on her head. She had wide sea-green eyes and her lips and eyelashes were all a deeper shade of green that matched her flowing hair. Sarah thought she had never seen lovelier features on any woman in the Above or Underground. But this was undeniably one of the Water People, since instead of legs she had deep green fins with sparkling emerald scales. The scales made patterns up and down her torso and were also scattered across her pale green arms.

"Well. Hello." the mermaid, for that was what she undeniably was, said to Sarah. Her voice was musical and she drawled out each syllable as she spoke it.

Sarah was unsure how to react. She had heard so many warnings about the Water People, but the mermaid didn't seem threatening, and really Sarah was stuck. She was mostly out of the water on her rocky ledge, but she was too exhausted to climb back up into the tunnels. She needed help. She kept a firm grip on the rocky outcropping with one hand, but tentatively raised the other hand in a greeting gesture.

"Hello," Sarah replied, a little hesitantly.

"You look terrified," the mermaid observed in a cool tone. "Did I scare you?"

"Well, yes – I mean no – it's just that, well, I fell a long way down into the water. By accident. I didn't mean to be here," Sarah stammered.

"I see," the mermaid said, swishing her tail. "Well, you are certainly stuck now." Her tone was noncommittal – not threatening, but not friendly either.

Sarah couldn't stop herself from glancing back up at the tunnel. It seemed even further away than she had originally thought. The mermaid caught her glance and gave a musical laugh.

"Surely you don't think you can climb up there?" she asked. "These rocks are razor sharp. You'd hardly be able to find a handhold, and if you fell they'd cut you to ribbons."

Sarah grimaced. Her escape plan was starting to look unrealistic and she felt trapped. The mermaid floated nearby impassively and watched her as Sarah started to feel panicky again.

"I guess that won't work then," Sarah said slowly. "I don't – I don't suppose you know another way I can get out?"

"Perhaps," the mermaid said coyly. "I haven't decided if I want to help you or not." Sarah noticed with a chill that there were sharp blue spines on the mermaid's fins.

"I was trying to get away from the Mystagogs. I understand you don't really get along," Sarah said. _The enemy of my enemy is my friend_ , she thought.

"There's no way to get along with such boring, ugly creatures," the mermaid said harshly. "But you – you're human, aren't you? Humans are always interesting. Unpredictable. Lots of variety too. You're one of the pretty ones, I suppose."

"I'm not – I mean – thank you?" Sarah said, confused.

"Beautiful dress too – or at least it was," the mermaid admired.

"It was a gift," Sarah said, not really thinking. This piqued the mermaid's interest.

"Oh really? And from whom in the Underground did you receive such an extravagant gift?" she asked. Sarah noticed apprehensively that the mermaid had moved closer.

"Um – well, a friend of mine," Sarah said lamely.

"A friend?" the mermaid laughed. "Quite a nice _friend_ , I think. A gentleman?"

"Yes," Sarah admitted.

"Mmmmmm," the mermaid smiled, blowing bubbles underwater as she swam even closer to Sarah. "And how did you come to meet this _gentleman_ , since you are a human and presumably live Aboveground?"

"That was sort of an accident too," Sarah replied.

"My, you seem a bit accident prone then. You should be more careful. It could really get you into trouble one of these days," the mermaid said languidly. By now she had slipped up right next to Sarah. Sarah shivered as the mermaid's fin brushed against her foot that was still hanging off the ledge into the water. The mermaid smiled a cold smile up at Sarah, but suddenly her face froze.

"And your necklace? Was that a gift too?" the mermaid asked.

Sarah's hand flew to her neck. The owl pendant was still there. This was the second time someone in the Underground had noticed it – but it was just a gift from Karen, wasn't it?

"Yes," Sarah said carefully.

"From this same _gentleman_?" The mermaid's voice was so low it was almost a hiss.

"No," Sarah said clearly. "From my stepmother."

The mermaid slipped her face partially back into the water. "I see." She studied Sarah for a moment. Sarah returned her gaze because she really didn't know what else she could do.

The mermaid suddenly seemed to make up her mind. "Come with me," she said, tugging on Sarah's leg. Sarah grabbed at the rocks, cutting her hand painfully.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Sarah asked, wincing at the cut.

"The only way out is under," the mermaid said.

"What do you mean?" Sarah cried.

"I _mean_ we're going underwater. So hold your breath, human girl," the mermaid said. Before Sarah could protest, the mermaid had grabbed her hands and pulled her off the rocks with surprising strength. Sarah only had time to gulp one last breath before the mermaid pulled her down under the swirling green water.


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Hello readers. I meant to post this earlier, but I've been so sad about the passing of our beloved Bowie that it was hard for me to work on this chapter. This is a short chapter, but Jareth is the main character. It's my small tribute to a great artist who will be sorely missed.**

 **Please read and review! Thank you! xoxo**

Back in the Mystagog's cave, Selise and Mylan were still arguing. Jareth was gracefully slumped against the cave wall holding his aching head in his shackled hands, rolling his eyes at the shrieking and whining in the background.

"Domestic drama, how charming," he muttered to himself. The one bright spot was that Selise and Mylan were so intent on their fight that they were leaving him alone. Sneaking a glance their way to ensure that they weren't watching him, Jareth bent his head down as if in pain and ran his hand over his forehead. A slight glow emanated from his hand as his features visibly relaxed in relief.

"Ah, that's better," he thought. Being able to heal himself was always such a useful power. For some reason Selise and Mylan seemed to think that the iron shackles were blocking his magic. Of course that was nonsense, but Jareth had decided that it might be advantageous to let them think he was powerless in order to get more information about what they were really up to. He also suspected that if Selise and Mylan were busy trying to turn him over to the dwarves that Sarah and her friends must have gotten away. He was sorely tempted to form a crystal to try to look in on Sarah, but he didn't want to risk Mylan or Selise seeing him until he could find out more about their plans.

Suddenly Jareth heard a whispered hiss. "Psst! Kingy!"

Jareth looked up sharply. There in a dark shadowed overhang of the cave his owl eyes spotted two little goblins. It was Bumper and Stumps! His eyebrows shot up in surprise and he gave them a questioning look.

"Are you in trouble, Kingy?" Stumps asked in a comically loud whisper. Jareth grimaced and tilted his head toward Selise and Mylan, trying to encourage his goblins to be quiet.

"Ooops, sorry," Stumps whispered sheepishly.

"Don't worry, King! We will get them and set you free!" Bumper said determinedly. Jareth started to mouth "NO" but it was too late for brave little Bumper. With a loud cry he launched himself down off the cave ledge and right onto Selise's head. Not to be outdone, Stumps followed immediately after, choosing Mylan as his target. The Mystagogs shrieked in surprise and terror as the ferocious little goblins attacked. Though Bumper and Stumps were two of the smaller goblins in Jareth's kingdom, they were surprisingly vicious when it came to defending their beloved King.

Jareth watched the spectacle for a moment, half annoyed, half amused, before rising to his feet in one fluid motion. By the time he stood up Selise was howling in pain as Bumper hung from her hair and Mylan was cowering on the floor as Stumps jumped up and down on his back.

"Bumper, Stumps, that's quite enough," he said, calling the goblins off. Bumper and Stumps immediately jumped to their King's side and adopted defensive poses. Mylan and Selise watched in disbelief as Jareth casually shook his wrists and the shackles dissolved into sparkling dust. He elegantly blew on his fingertips and the last of the dust drifted away.

"But – but how?" Selise wailed.

"You really thought iron shackles would work on _me_?" Jareth asked disdainfully. "Where did you hear that one?"

Selise continued to gape at Jareth while Mylan began to shake in terror.

"Remember Goblin King, it was all her idea, not mine!" Mylan cried.

"Probably the gnomes again," Jareth mused. "They're full of misinformation. You know you shouldn't believe everything you hear, especially when the consequences are so…serious." He flashed a pointy smile at the Mystagogs while the goblins smugly nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, we have to be going now," Jareth said conversationally. "So good of you to host us. I'll make sure to mention your hospitality when you're brought before the High Council." With a flourish, he formed two crystals and captured both Selise and Mylan.

"And since it would just be annoying to have to deal with you escaping again…" Jareth trailed off as he tossed both crystals into the air, where they popped like bubbles.

"Where did they go?" Bumper asked in amazement.

"Sent them to the dungeon back home," Jareth answered. "They'll be comfortable enough there until I return, as long as they don't mind listening to goblin singing."

"Yay Kingy!" Stumps and Bumper cheered.

"Yes, yes," Jareth said impatiently, but he was smiling. "So thank you both for your rescue attempt, though it was ridiculous, wholly unnecessary, and actually counterproductive to my plans at the time."

"Anytime!" Stumps said modestly.

"Now, where are the others? Where is Sarah?" Jareth asked.

"The Lady's friends escaped with the rock callers," Bumper said. "But the Lady wasn't with them. We came back to look for you and for the Lady."

"What?" Jareth asked, alarmed. Quickly he formed a crystal and sought Sarah's image.

"I know she hates this, but this is urgent," he murmured to himself. Sarah appeared in his crystal, hair dripping and clinging to a black rock in her sodden dress.

"Oh no, she's in the lagoon!" Jareth cried. His eyes widened in shock as a pale green arm slid into view and dragged Sarah down into the swirling green waters.

"Sarah!" Jareth cried.


	30. Chapter 30

**AN:** Wow, it has been too long since my last update! Life is busy with a new baby, but I promise I am not giving up on this story! I think about it a lot! I hope some of you out there are still reading. I would love your feedback!

Since Sir Didymus had asked them to lead the way, Ludo, Lura, Murdo, and the youngest rock caller, Mara, set a quick pace toward the spot where Lura thought they might be able to find Sarah. As they struggled to keep up with the rock callers, Hoggle, Didymus, and Ambrosius noticed that the landscape had changed. As a sharp contrast to the darkness of the Mystagog's caves, now the sun was shining down on a jungle landscape. The air was humid and the vegetation grew thickly across the path. Ambrosius was panting and Hoggle had to pause frequently to wipe his brow with a polka-dotted yellow and red handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket.

"I sure hope we can find Sarah," he fretted.

"As do I, brother Hoggle," Didymus replied sincerely. Didymus decided not to mention it, but he was also worried that the Goblin King had not yet made his presence known. Thought Didymus was confident Jareth could handle the Mystagogs, he thought they might need his Majesty's help if Sarah had indeed been captured by the water people.

Despite his concerns, Didymus couldn't help but smile when he glanced up and saw the look on Ludo's face as he grunted and cooed to the other rock callers. How amazing that he had finally found some of his own kind! And though Didymus knew little about rock callers, like almost everyone else in the Underground, he thought that Mara must be beautiful by their standards given the way Ludo was staring at her. Hoggle began to grumble about the heat, but Didymus nudged him and glanced meaningfully in Ludo's direction. Hoggle's eyes widened as he caught Didymus' meaning and the two friends chuckled knowingly at Ludo's lovestruck gaze.

"Well, at least one of us is enjoying himself," Hoggle said, raising his eyebrows.

Sarah was grateful for the lungfuls of air she had managed to gasp before the mermaid dragged her below the surface of the water. She struggled to keep her eyes open so she could at least see where they were heading, but the light quickly faded as they plunged deeper into the lagoon. Just as Sarah thought her lungs were about to explode, her legs scraped against exposed rock as the mermaid pulled her through an underwater tunnel. Seconds later her head was above the surface of the water and instinct kicked in as she threw back her head, her hair a shimmering arc, and gulped in deep breath after breath. The mermaid languidly floated nearby, twirling a long strand of her sea-green hair between her fingers and examining her nails. Treading water, Sarah shook the water out of her eyes and realized that she was close to shore. She shot a furious look at the mermaid and swam as quickly as she could to the sandy beach, desperately dragging herself up onto the shore as the mermaid laughed her silvery laugh.

Sarah turned back and looked at her wrathfully. "What in the world was that?" she nearly yelled. "Don't you think you ought to warn someone before you nearly drown them?" Sarah felt ridiculous, soaked to the bone in her once-lovely dress. She twisted her dripping hair in her hands and tried to wring out some of the water.

"Go ahead and be mad," the mermaid replied lazily. "But I told you the only way out was under. If It wasn't for me, you'd still be stuck back there."

Sarah's fury died in her throat. "Oh. Thanks," she managed weakly.

"Don't thank me yet," the mermaid said with a little grin. "I've brought you to see _Daddy_. He always asks for us to help wanderers that get stranded in the lagoon and bring them to him. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But I knew he'd want to talk to _you_."

"Why me?" Sarah asked, wondering what she had gotten herself into now.

"It's just too interesting to pass up an opportunity to chat with the girl that broke the Goblin King's heart," the mermaid smirked.

"What?!" Sarah exclaimed. "Look, I think you have the wrong idea…it was all just part of the game!"

"The Labyrinth isn't a game," the mermaid said, suddenly serious. "And you're the one with the wrong idea. The whole Underground was buzzing about the dark-haired, green-eyed girl that finally gave Jareth a taste of his own medicine."

"I don't know what you mean," Sarah protested. Her heart was racing and she wasn't sure why.

"Jareth knows a thing or two about breaking hearts. So let's just say I didn't mind helping out the girl who beat him at his own game."

With that final cryptic comment, the mermaid flipped her tail and dove under the water.

"Wait!" Sarah cried. "Who is…Daddy? What does he want with me?"

The only reply Sarah got was a few strains of the mermaid's musical laughter. Sarah stood there alone on the shore for a moment. She had no idea where she was or where her friends were. She had no idea whether or not she was still in danger.

" _Well, at least I'm finally starting to dry off_ ," she thought to herself, blinking up at the bright sun. The light on her face was warm, but there was a breeze, and in the distance up the sandy coast she thought she could see tall palm trees and other greenery.

" _Maybe I can make a break for it_ ," she thought. She glanced down quickly at herself. She looked as if she had been shipwrecked. She pulled a piece of seaweed out of her tangled hair and sighed. She was tired.

"Oh well. Maybe it's not as far as it looks. Come on, feet," she said. She turned her back on the shore and started to head down the coastline, but she had only gone a few steps when she felt a huge presence rise out of the ocean behind her. A shadow stretched across her path and she heard the sound of rising waves. Sarah slowly turned and raised her head, adrenaline rushing through her body.

Behind her a man made entirely of water had risen from the waves. Though he was transparent, the shape of his body was clearly defined by the curve and flow of the water. He was at least ten feet tall, Sarah thought with a gulp, and as he moved there was a sound like water pouring into a giant bowl. She watched in fear as he raised his hand in a signal to stop.

"Not so fast, little one," said a deep voice in her mind.

 **AN: Another cliffhanger ending! :) I want to especially thank** **pgoodrichboggs** **for the continued support and to thank** **TheWarnerSister** **for the review - I had the same thought that Sarah was the one getting into trouble a lot of the time, but I needed to put her in some sticky situations so that she could show growth. I made sure she wasn't the one captured by the Mystagogs so that she would have a chance** t **o shine then, and I promise she won't always rely on Jareth to rescue her. I hope you like where this part of the story is going next. ;)**


	31. Chapter 31

AN: Thanks to those of you who reviewed! It means so much to me! I hope you enjoy this next little chapter. More to come soon! xo

The water man loomed above her, incredible and imposing. Sarah could only stare, open-mouthed.

"Do not let fear grasp your heart," boomed the voice in her head. It was like the sound of thunder, or a crashing ocean wave.

"I've never – I've never met anyone like you," Sarah stammered.

Laughter rumbled like a bubbling spring. "No, I imagine you have not."

"The mermaid said…I thought I was in for it," Sarah said hesitantly.

"Vanessa is not one of my kindest daughters," the voice in her head said. There was a humor in the voice's timbre.

"So she is your daughter?" Sarah asked, remembering the mermaid had said she was taking her to "Daddy."

"I have many children," continued the voice.

"Are they all mermaids?" Sarah wondered.

"As with your kind, each is different. Many used to live Above, like you. But now they are almost all Underground." He leaned forward, his body flowing smoothly like a fountain. "You have a question. Ask it."

Sarah hesitated.

"Ask it," the voice prodded.

"How are you doing that?" Sarah finally asked. "Speaking in my mind?"

"It is the way of my kind," the voice answered. "That is the only answer I can give."

"Oh," Sarah replied, a little disappointed.

"You have more questions," he continued. "Ask, because I wished to speak to you. It has been an age since I last spoke with a human girl."

Sarah suddenly felt a tremendous pressure. "I don't wish to offend you."

"You will not," he said.

"I heard that the water people were dangerous," she said cautiously.

"Some of us are," he said. "Some of us are not. They are all my children, but they are not all alike. Vanessa can be dangerous. Others can be far more dangerous still."

Sarah shivered a little. "If they are your children, can you not tell them what to do?"

The laughter bubbled in her mind again. "Can every human parent tell a grown child what to do? My sons and daughters are all of age, and have been for a long, long time." His voice grew kind. "You are still a child, and may not understand yet. But your time is coming soon."

Sarah blushed a little. She used to feel like she was so grown up, but the more she learned, the more she knew he was right. She was still a child.

"Do not be ashamed of youth," the voice chided. "Many are they who regret it when it is gone."

The brows of the water man seemed to rise. "You are on a journey," he stated.

"Yes," Sarah admitted. "I am trying to help my friend, but we got separated."

There was a faraway look in the water man's eyes for a moment. "They are looking for you," he said.

Sarah's face lit up with joy. "Oh, I knew they would!" she said happily.

The water man studied her face. "If you answer my riddles, I will help you."

"Riddles?" Sarah asked. A stab of anxiety seized her.

"Yes," the water man said solemnly.

"What if I can't answer them?" Sarah said carefully. She wanted to know what she was getting into.

"You will," he answered.

Sarah bit her lip. She couldn't see another way out, and she knew she needed help.

"Ask away," she said.

Back in the Mystagog's cave, Jareth's fear had turned into fury, but he knew dealing with the water people was not something he could take likely. He needed a plan. The goblins, meanwhile, were dealing with their worry the way goblins deal about most things – that is, by jumping up and down and making a great deal of noise.

"What to do, Kingy?" Bumper wailed.

"We have to save her!" Stumps cried.

"Quiet, you two. I need to think." Jareth commanded.

"Can't you go get her now that you know where she is?" Bumper asked pleadingly.

"It's not that simple now," Jareth admitted. "She has technically crossed the border into another kingdom. "

"Oh," the goblins said somberly. Even they knew that in accordance with the rules of the Underground, the Goblin King could not just "magic" his way into another kingdom without permission. Doing so could even be construed as an act of war.

"Well, my fine fellows, that certainly doesn't mean we're going to just give up," Jareth said forcefully. He snapped his fingers. "I think I've got it. Are you with me?"

"YEAH KINGY!" the goblins cheered. Jareth smiled his pointy smile. One nice thing about goblins, he thought, is that they never stay sad for too long.

The hot sun beat down on the party of Sarah's friends. They were emerging from the relative cool of the jungle and the shimmering pink sands of a coastline stretched in front of them. Sir Didymus was trying not to pant as he felt it was undignified, but Hoggle mopped his brow earnestly with his handkerchief without shame.

"How much further, Ludo?" Hoggle asked plaintively.

Ludo stopped staring at Mara for a few seconds to consult with the older rock-callers. After a moment he turned to answer. "Not far, brother. Water ahead."

"I say, that is good news! I hope Lady Sarah will be alright until we can arrive!" Didymus exclaimed. HE squinted his eyes and raised his eye patch (which, of course, was just for dramatic effect) to get a better look. "In fact, I believe I can see the water ahead! Ah yes, the smell of the sea!"

Hoggle, who knew that Didymus' olfactory claims were greatly exaggerated, rolled his eyes at first. But then he too saw the sunlight glinting off the water and felt much more cheerful.

"It's been forever since I've seen the ocean!" he said happily. "Maybe I'll even take a swim!"

Suddenly there was a loud rumble and the sound of crashing waves. The whole party broke into a run to try to get around the corner of the coastline's edge and see what was going on.

The group watched in shock as a huge watery figure rose from the waves. From a distance he seemed to ebb and flow with the tide in a fascinating undulation, but he towered over the figure they could just make out in front of them.

"On second thought, I think I'll stay out of the water!" Hoggle cried. He started to turn and run back toward the jungle, but Didymus snagged him by his collar as he ran by.

"Sir Hoggle, no! We must press on! See, that is our fair maiden ahead!" Didymus exclaimed.

"Oh no," Hoggle groaned. "How can we fight a man made of water?"

"I don't know, but I'm keen to try!" Didymus cheered.


	32. Chapter 32

**AN:** Aaaaand I'm finally back! It feels like I've been working on this chapter FOREVER. I know Jareth tells us that's not long at all, but I can't say I agree right now! I'm a little concerned about the flow of this chapter since I had to come back and work on it so many times over the past few weeks. Please let me know what you think! Oh, and see if you can spot my The Little Mermaid reference! xoxo

"Alright my fine fellows, do you understand the plan?" Jareth asked.

"Yes Kingy!" Bumper and Stumps exclaimed in unison. Bumper was having a hard time not actually jumping up and down. He was just so excited to go on his first rescue mission.

"You understand that we must not be detected…" Jareth warned.

"Don't worry Kingy, we can be quiet when we have to!" Stumps declared proudly. Jareth looked dubious, but gestured for the goblins to come to him.

"Hang on tightly," Jareth said. Bumper and Stumps clung to his boots as though their little lives depended on it. Jareth smiled broadly and, with a flourish of his cape, they disappeared.

Sarah faced the water man. "Ask away," she said, more bravely than she felt.

The water man looked at her intently. "What is something that breaks without making a sound?" His voice boomed inside Sarah's head.

Suddenly pictures began flashing in front of Sarah's eyes. She looked on in a daze as they flipped by like a sped-up video. Suddenly they coalesced and began to show one scene at a time.

 _Sarah, as a child, crying into her pillow._

 _Robert, standing in the hallway, watching her, helpless._

 _Jareth, a forlorn look in his eyes, as he tossed a crystal into the air and transformed into a snowy white owl._

The answer formed on her lips like a flash of light. "A heart," she gasped. She shook her head and her eyes re-focused. She looked at the water man in awe.

He nodded solemnly. "Yes. You have answered the first riddle."

"The pictures…?" Sarah questioned.

"You already held the answer to that riddle within you." the water man answered. Sarah thought his tone held a shade of compassion, but she couldn't be sure.

"Can you see what I just saw?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

The water man regarded her silently for a moment. Finally, he answered in his deep voice, "Yes."

"Oh," Sarah said quietly. She felt a little embarrassed. And now her connection to Jareth was no longer a secret – not that she was sure it had been. Had Vanessa been right? Had she really broken his heart?

"You are troubled. That is not always a bad thing. My riddles are intended to show the truth," – the water man stretched open his giant hand – "not bury it beneath the waves." He brought his hand crashing down with a huge splash. "Do you wish to continue?"

Sarah took a deep breath. "Yes."

Meanwhile, the others had convinced a reluctant Didymus that simply rushing up to the water man and demanding a duel might not be the best strategy, especially as they could see Sarah did not seem to be in immediate danger as they got closer. Sarah's friends hid behind thick trunks in a grove of palm trees and watched the scene in front of them with great interest.

"This one is longer," the water man was saying to Sarah with a little twinkle in his eye.

"I'm ready," she said bravely.

"You must explain this riddle to me," the water man stated.

" _Seasons come and seasons go,_

 _Although man tries to hide,_

 _He has no ultimate control,_

 _The sea is the tide_ ," boomed the water-man.

"What does that mean?" Didymus whispered.

"He's as bad as the Wiseman," Hoggle muttered. Ludo simply shrugged.

The water-man simply gazed at Sarah silently. Sarah bit her lip and thought as hard as she could.

"Seasons come and go…the tides come in, and then they go back out. The sea never stays the same. And man cannot control it…," Sarah chanted to herself as she thought.

Suddenly another reel of pictures unspooled in her head.

 _Sarah and her mother, playing in the park. Sarah is laughing as she runs into her mother's arms._

 _Sarah alone in her bedroom, holding her phone. It rings and rings but no one answers._

 _Sarah and Karen, yelling at each other in the kitchen. Sarah's hair is flying as she gestures dramatically. Karen's face is red, her eyes wide, and her jaw set._

 _Sarah and Karen, smiling at each other over pancakes. Karen is passing Sarah the maple syrup._

 _Jareth, taunting Sarah in the tunnels of the Labyrinth._

 _Jareth, leaning over Sarah in the forest, his features twisted with concern._

 _Toby's little wrinkly newborn face. Robert and Karen cooed over him and exchanged a loving look. Sarah stood to the side, her face expressionless._

 _Sarah's own face, softly smiling as she looked down at Toby in his crib and gently stroked his cheek._

Sarah's eyes focused again. She realized with a sudden ache how much she missed Toby.

She spoke slowly, still trying to sort out the meaning. "Do you mean…does the riddle mean that things change? Things change, people change…sometimes they change for the better, sometimes for the worse, but they change and we can't control it?"

The water man nodded. "Control is an illusion, young one. The earlier you learn that, the easier change will be."

"Don't know how she came up with that one," Hoggle whispered from his hiding place. Didymus raised his fuzzy eyebrows in agreement.

"A final riddle," the water man said. "What gift, once given, is best forgotten by both giver and receiver?"

"Okay, now that one really makes no sense," Hoggle muttered in exasperation, thinking of his jewels. "Why would you want to forget a gift?"

Sarah was prepared for the onslaught of images this time. They whirred past her unseeing eyes, the pictures clear in her mind.

 _Karen, smiling as she handed Sarah a gift box._

 _Sarah, hugging her father Robert before he left for work._

 _Sarah, looking longingly one last time at a picture of her mother before quietly putting it away in a drawer._

 _Hoggle, defiantly saying "I ain't asking for forgiveness, and I ain't interested in being friends…"_

 _Sarah's simple reply: "I forgive you, Hoggle."_

Sarah's eyes focused. "Forgiveness. The answer is forgiveness." Her voice rang out clear as a bell.

"Oh," said Hoggle sheepishly to himself.

"That is correct," the water man said. "I have seen that you have learned some of what it means to forgive. But there are hidden places within you."

"And you said that was the last riddle, so those places are going to stay hidden," Sarah said bravely. "Now will you help me?"

"Look, my child, your friends have found you once again," the water man said, spreading his arms wide. As his arms opened a sudden strong sea wind blew open the palm trees that Sarah's friends were hiding behind.

"Sir Didymus! Hoggle! Ludo!" Sarah cried in delight. She ran to embrace them. She was astonished to see them and even more astonished when she realized they were accompanied by three other rock callers. But where were Bumper and Stumps? And where was Jareth?

Suddenly Sarah whirled around to face the water man. "Wait a minute, you said you would help me find my friends if I answered your riddles!"

"Are they not here? Have you not found them?" the water man replied. There was a slight rumble of laughter behind his tone.

"But they were there all along!" Sarah protested. "I didn't need your help!"

"That's true, it became unnecessary," the water man said cheerfully.

Sarah was very tempted to say "It's not fair" but she knew better than to even start. She sighed, and then picked up her head determinedly.

"Well, I haven't actually found all my friends," Sarah said stubbornly. "I still don't know where Bumper and Stumps are. Or where Jareth is."

From his hiding place the Goblin King felt a little thrill to hear Sarah refer to him by name. "Does she really care where I am, or is she just negotiating? Does she really consider me a friend?" he wondered.

"That I can help with, actually. Goblin King, I know it's you," the water man said. His voice was amused once again. "You might as well reveal yourself. You aren't fooling anyone."

Sarah and her friends watched in astonishment as a section of air near the shore seemed to shimmer. The image of the shoreline shook and then shattered, revealing a mysterious hooded figure crouched on the ground. The stooped, hooded figure slowly straightened. A pale, aristocratic hand pulled back the hood to reveal a shock of silvery blonde hair. The two goblins sat on Jareth's shoulders looking pleased with themselves.

Hoggle's mouth dropped open in shock. Jareth rolled his eyes. "Apparently I was fooling _someone_ ," Jareth muttered. "Crystals. They bend light." He produced a crystal with an expert flick of his wrist. "If you bend the light enough," he said, throwing the crystal into the air, "you bend it right around you." He caught the crystal behind his back without even looking. Hoggle's mouth remained open.

Jareth raised one eyebrow at Sarah, then turned to the water man and bowed.

"Water King. It has been a long time," Jareth said. He knew the Water King had probably learned some potentially valuable information from his foray into Sarah's head, but it was no good worrying about that now. Besides, he noted proudly, Sarah had answered the riddles correctly.

"Yes, Goblin King, it has," the Water King replied. He acknowledged and returned Jareth's bow.

"In accordance with the laws of the Underground, my goblins and I entered your kingdom on foot," Jareth continued. "I did not use my abilities to magically appear in your kingdom."

"You did use them, however, to magically disappear," the Water King noted mildly.

"True. Fortunately completely legal as well," Jareth said with a grin. Waves splashed loudly around the Water King, who frowned slightly, but he did not protest.

"We'll be going now," Jareth said. "I trust you don't object if I use my magic to hasten our departure?"

"Be my guest," the Water King said. "Farewell, Lady Sarah."

"Farewell," Sarah said. She and her friends gathered around Jareth. He glanced down at Sarah and produced another crystal. He tossed it into the air…

…and just like that, they were back on their path, but miles further on. The mountains that had looked so small and distant now loomed above them, and there was a slight chill in the air.

"I thought after all that we could do with a little shortcut," Jareth said drily. Hoggle rubbed his sore feet happily. The rock callers looked around in amazement.

Bumper and Stumps hopped down from Jareth's shoulders and raced over to Sarah. "Lady Sarah!" the goblins cried with glee. They jumped on her and she hugged them unabashedly. Jareth tried not to feel envious.

" _Oh Lord, if I'm feeling envious of goblins I really am in trouble_ ," he thought.

"Lady Sarah, we thought you were going to drown!" Bumper cried dramatically.

"We saw that green lady pull you down and it was so scary!" Stumps cried.

"Well, it turned out to be a good thing," Sarah said. "I thought she was going to drown me too at first, but if she hadn't pulled me down to the underwater passage I guess I'd still be stuck in that cave."

"Vanessa assisted you?" Jareth asked, surprised. "That must be the first time she's ever done anything for someone other than herself."

"Well, I don't think her motives were entirely selfless," Sarah replied. She bit her lip a bit before continuing. Was it wrong to tease him now? "She seemed to have something against you," Sarah said casually, but with a glance at him that dared him to respond.

He gave her a calculating look and raised one eyebrow. "I never did care much for fish," he said coolly.

Surprised at his joke, Sarah stifled a giggle with her hand and shot him a mischievous glance, her eyes dancing with laughter. It was Jareth's turn to be surprised when he heard her laugh. He joined in with a chuckle of his own, relaxing a bit over their shared humor. The rush of hope it gave him was almost embarrassing.

"I'm glad we're all together again," Sarah said sincerely. She hugged Ludo, Hoggle, and Sir Didymus to her, but her smile was all for Jareth.

"Actually," Jareth said, "so am I."


	33. Chapter 33

**AN:** New chapter! This one is fun. It was actually the first half of a chapter that got way too long, so I left all the fun parts in this one. The next one has some drama and some important clues...I can't wait to see what you think! But for now, enjoy some happiness. Please read and review! xo

By the time everyone was finally caught up with one another and Sarah had a chance to get to know the other rock callers the sky was growing dark once again. To Sarah's surprise Jareth had not immediately disappeared back to his castle this time. In fact, he almost looked like he was enjoying himself. Once the moon rose he even slyly produced a crystal which dramatically exploded in a shower of sparks to form a cheerful campfire. The goblins danced around it gleefully, making odd elongated shadows on the rocky mountainside. Sarah smiled at their innocent fun, feeling grateful for the warm, dry clothes which Jareth had magically produced for her to replace her ruined dress. Though she enjoyed talking with all her friends and watching the goblins' antics, Sarah caught herself staring at Jareth more than once, thinking about what the Water King had shown her.

"Kingy, today was so much fun," Bumper said to Jareth rapturously.

"Yes, so many adventures!" Stumps said happily.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves, my fine fellows," Jareth said graciously.

"Do you know the only thing that could make it better?" Bumper asked innocently. He and Stumps exchanged an excited look.

Jareth felt an immediate sense of foreboding and dread. Goblin suggestions were dangerous things and goblin excited looks were even more dangerous.

"A SONG!" Bumper and Stumps cried in unison. They started jumping around in excitement. Didymus smiled knowingly and Hoggle howled with laughter at the idea of the strutting Goblin King singing. The rock callers, who were really just getting to know the Goblin King, looked on with interest.

"Oh Lord no," Jareth said under his breath. Yes, he cut loose from time to time with the goblins, and yes, he even enjoyed it, damn it. But after the distant façade he had created he wasn't eager to sing and dance in front of his other subjects. And Sarah! He had sung to Sarah before, but under very different circumstances…

"This really isn't the right time, old chaps," Jareth started to protest, holding up his hands. The goblins started begging immediately, their eyes wide and pleading.

"Oh, PLEASE, Kingy!" Bumper said beseechingly.

"Just ONE song?" Stumps asked wistfully.

"I really don't think so," Jareth said, but then Sarah got up from her seat by the fire and walked over to him.

"Actually," she said in a quiet voice, "I had been wondering about that."

"About what?" Jareth asked, surprised.

"It's something Toby said," Sarah said hesitantly. She still felt awkward mentioning Toby around Jareth, but she was curious. "He…well, he talks about you sometimes. He draws pictures of you singing to him, and he laughs about 'dance magic'."

"MAGIC DANCE, THE BEST SONG EVER!" the goblins cheered. "YAAAAY!"

"Does he really?" Jareth asked Sarah. "What a stellar little chap he was," he said fondly. "We did have a good time."

"Yes, I guess you did," Sarah said. "Thanks for that…I guess."

"For what?" Jareth asked, genuinely confused.

"For taking good care of him!" Sarah blurted out. She suddenly sobbed and buried her face in her hands. Jareth, for once, looked dumbfounded.

"Well, of course! I mean, you're welcome! Sarah, what's wrong?" Jareth asked. He awkwardly patted her back. It had been a long time since he had tried to comfort a crying adult female. Sarah's friends looked on in concern and even the goblins stopped their bouncing around to curl up on Sarah's shoes and pat her ankles consolingly.

"It's just – just that I was so CARELESS!" Sarah cried. "You were good to Toby, but what if you hadn't been? What if he had been hurt, or scared? I could have never forgiven myself!" She sniffed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand in frustration. It was a very endearing gesture.

"Sarah, I don't think you _have_ forgiven yourself," Jareth said gently. Sarah looked at him, her green eyes startled. "I wish I could explain…"

"You really care about them, don't you?" Sarah asked suddenly.

"Who?" Jareth asked.

"The children! And the goblins, and sometimes creatures in trouble, like the rock callers…I didn't know – I didn't think…" she trailed off, still staring at him.

"Of course I care about the children. I cared about Toby, and so did you. You just needed some help to see it." Jareth searched her face. She looked so forlorn and young.

"I miss him," Sarah said simply.

"I know you do," Jareth replied kindly. He took a step back and put his hands on his hips. "Look, how about that song?" he said suddenly.

"REALLY!?" Bumper and Stumps yelled in excitement. "HOORAY!"

"Yes," Jareth said determinedly. "We could do with a little cheerfulness tonight." _Majestic image be damned_ , he thought. Without thinking any further he suddenly leapt up onto the nearest outcropping of rock, which served as a makeshift stage. Out of nowhere a drumbeat and upbeat guitar riff began reverberating off the rocky cliffside and throughout the valley. From an unknown source Jareth was hit with a bright spotlight that outshone the campfire. He began moving in time with the beat as Sarah, Hoggle, and the rock callers looked up in wonder at this turn of events. Sir Didymus just nodded his head cheerfully while the goblins ran around in excitement.

" _I saw my baby, crying hard as babe could cry_ …" Jareth sang. " _What could I do_?" He danced and swayed. He waved his hand down his body and was suddenly wearing different clothes - a dark-colored v-neck jumpsuit that shimmered blue and black in the spotlight. His medallion bounced on his chest as he danced enthusiastically.

" _My baby's love had gone, and left my baby blue – nobody knew_!" He snapped his fingers. A chorus of voices joined in.

" _What kind of magic spell to use_!" they sang. Sarah realized in shock that the voices were coming from the trees surrounding their campsite. The goblins jumped up onto the cliffside with their King.

" _Slime and snails_ ," Bumper sang as Jareth pointed to him.

" _Puppy dog tails_ ," Stumps sang next.

" _Thunder or lightning_ ," Jareth sang, grinning at their gasps as a grumble of thunder and shimmer of lightning lit up the night sky.

" _And baby said…dance_!" sang all the voices together.

" _Dance magic dance_!" Jareth sang with a smile. Sarah was still watching him in open-mouthed amazement. Yes, she had heard him sing before, but this was a side of him she had _never_ seen or even imagined. Her look of surprise gave way to a huge smile as all of her friends started to dance. The music was just so catchy and fun – it was just what they needed. She started to clap and sway almost without realizing it. Before she knew it, Jareth was singing the chorus again, but this time he looked down at her and held out his hand. She took it without thinking and the next thing she knew he had pulled her up onto the cliffside with him.

" _Dance magic dance_!" all the voices sang. Jareth whirled Sarah around and she laughed until she was breathless. Jareth's grin was a mile wide.

Hoggle, who had uncharacteristically been enjoying the song up until that point, crossed his arms and stopped dancing.

" _Jump magic jump_!" Jareth held Sarah's hands tightly and they jumped and danced together, both of them laughing. Every time the rock callers jumped, the ground shook beneath them. Didymus and the goblins were do-si-doeing. The trees were swaying in time to the music. It felt like everything in the valley was singing along as the song came to an end.

" _Dance magic dance_!" they all chanted as Jareth tossed a dozen crystals in the air. Each one split into pieces and exploded into shimmering colorful fireworks as a thrilling finale to the song. As the fireworks faded the valley returned to normal. Jareth jumped down from the rock cliff and extended his hand again to Sarah to help her down. Somehow she felt shyer taking it without the music playing, but she grabbed it anyway and let Jareth lead her over to the campfire.

"That was so amazing, Kingy!" Bumper said dreamily.

"Best dance magic ever," Stumps agreed enthusiastically.

"That was pretty good, wasn't it chaps?" Jareth said amicably. "Now, couldn't we all do with some refreshment now? That was quite a lot of dancing and jumping." He waved his hand over the campfire and a roasting spit appeared. The tantalizing smell of crispy meat filled the air. Jareth snapped his fingers and two barrels full of a sparkling punch materialized out of thin air. He tossed a crystal casually over his head, and as it fell delightfully soft pillows and rugs scattered themselves around the fire as if shaken out of some huge unseen bag. Trays of breads, cheeses, and fruits appeared on the rugs. Finally, an assortment of little covered tins arranged themselves on a platter near the fire. A warm, inviting smell, like cinnamon and sugar and berries all baked with butter wafted into Sarah's nose.

"Oh, bubbly pies," Hoggle said rapturously. He breathed the scent in deeply. Even Hoggle couldn't be grumpy with such a tempting spread set before them. The group gathered around the fire and began enjoying the meal together. Sarah hesitated for a moment before joining them.

"Nothing enchanted this time. I promise," said Jareth in her ear as he came up behind her. He stepped around her and sprawled gracefully onto one of the rugs, looking back at her with a wink and a smile. Sarah folded herself into a comfortable position on the rug next to his and returned his smile, then grabbed a strawberry from the tray in front of her. Jareth smiled wider as she took her first bite.


	34. Chapter 34

**AN:** I hope you all enjoyed the fun in the last chapter! This one is a little more intense. Please let me know what you think! xo

The bonfire finally began to die down and the stars lit up the mountain sky over their heads. It had been a long and tiring day for all of them. After the excitement of the song and the fun of the meal together the members of the little ragtag group dropped off to sleep one by one until only Sarah, Jareth, and Hoggle were left. Sarah had to stifle her giggle at the sight of noble Sir Didymus, Bumper, and Stumps all curled up together and nestled against the warmth of the rock callers' fur. Jareth leaned back against a tree trunk and stretched his long legs out, propping his feet up on a rock. Somehow he still looked rather majestic. The firelight flickered on their faces as they listened to the sounds of the night forest. For the moment, all was peaceful, but Hoggle had an anxious look on his face.

"What is it, Hoggle?" Sarah asked gently.

"It's nothin'," he denied at first, but when Sarah tilted her head at him disbelievingly he sighed. "It's just that we're getting close now. Close to the Dwarf Kingdom," he said quietly.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Sarah replied.

Hoggle hesitated, casting a sideways look at Jareth. The Goblin King was watching him passively, an inscrutable look on his face.

"It's just…well, I don't know what to expect. I ain't ever even met many other dwarves before. I don't like not knowin' what's comin' next," he finally said. "I wish I knew how it was all going to turn out once we get to the Dwarf Kingdom."

"Wish?" Jareth asked, raising his eyebrows pointedly and sitting up straighter. "Haven't you heard? Be careful what you wish for," Jareth said casually, inspecting his fingernails. "You just might get it."

"I don't need your advice, Jareth," Hoggle spat out.

"Oh really?" Jareth said challengingly.

Sarah looked at them both in exasperation. "Oh come on, let's not fight now," she pleaded. "Not when we're all getting along."

"Getting along?" Hoggle snorted. "I don't know about that." He thought back to Sarah's smiling face as she and Jareth danced earlier and felt his anger grow.

"Oh really?" Jareth said again. "So this is the thanks I get for my assistance? For the fire, and the food, and oh, for keeping you safe time and time again?"

"I didn't ask for your help, Jareth!" Hoggle growled. "We would have been fine without you!"

Jareth set his mouth in a thin line and rose to his feet. "Really, this is ridiculous. I've tried to be patient with your foolhardy little quest but this ingratitude is insulting."

"I didn't want your help because I don't want to owe you anything, Jareth! I'd rather do it alone than go another step with you!" Hoggle was standing now and shouting.

Sarah was desperately trying to quiet them to keep them from waking her exhausted friends. "Hoggle, Jareth, stop this!" she whispered with wide eyes. She jumped between them.

"Hoggle, I know this is a hard time for you," Sarah said. "We've come a long way and I know you're feeling worried. But let's not attack each other now." Sarah put a consoling arm around the dwarf and knelt beside him, then looked up at Jareth. "Jareth, you've been a big help. I don't know what we would have done without you," she admitted. "We got in over our heads in a few places and I'm glad you were here to help us."

Jareth smiled proudly and stood up straighter. "See there, Hogwart, that's how you properly show gratitude," he said smugly.

"It's HOGGLE!" the little dwarf shouted, stamping his foot in frustration. He stormed off, grumbling under his breath. Sarah watched him go sadly before turning back to Jareth.

"Why do you always do that?" Sarah asked, exasperated.

"Do what?" Jareth replied nonchalantly.

"Pretend to forget his name! Antagonize him!" Sarah exclaimed.

"He is my subject." Jareth sniffed. "He owes me his loyalty. I can call him whatever name I wish."

"But why do you deliberately call him the wrong name? I know you know his name. You do it on purpose!"

He regarded her silently for a moment.

"Walk with me?" he asked. Sarah nodded and followed him away from the fire. It was quiet in the woods and they could talk without disturbing the others – and Jareth didn't want to be overheard. Slowly he replied "Hoggle and I do not get along. I employ him and protect him, and he serves me. He is a hard worker and usually quite loyal to me – except where _you_ are concerned, anyway. But to him I will always be the villain," he finished quietly.

Now it was Sarah's turn to be quiet. She felt like there was more behind the words than what Jareth really wanted to let on. She decided to try to get what she wanted to know from a different angle.

"Why is he so afraid of you?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, now why do you ask that?" Jareth said, raising his eyebrows. "Can it be that you no longer find me frightening? I'm not sure how I feel about that," he demurred.

Did she find him frightening? She certainly feared him. She had seen how powerful he was, the magic he was capable of conjuring. But at that moment, and even looking back on all of her experiences in the Labyrinth, she could not say that she was frightened in his presence any longer.

"I wasn't talking about myself. I asked about Hoggle," Sarah said, crossing her arms and trying her hardest to look Jareth right in the eyes.

He observed her pose and steady eye contact. " _Oh, how I love her defiance_ ," Jareth thought to himself. He took a step toward her and met her gaze.

"Are you sure you want me to tell you? He might not want you to know," Jareth said softly.

Sarah's head dropped and she lowered her arms. Hesitatingly, she nodded her head. Jareth felt a pang of jealousy that she obviously cared so much for the wretched little dwarf, but he hoped that maybe this was a chance to make Sarah understand. Jareth moved another step closer to her and spoke quietly.

"I will tell you why I was against this blasted quest from the beginning and maybe you will finally begin to understand," Jareth said in a calm, steady voice. "The hard truth, Sarah, is that Hoggle is one of the wished-away. He came to the Labyrinth when he was rather young, but he remembers it - whether he remembers _all_ of it or not is the real question. He believes that I stopped his mother from reaching him – that I am the reason that she did not win him back," Jareth said.

Sarah's mouth made a round "o" of surprise. "But I thought – I thought his parents were gone…dead, I mean."

"They may well be, by now," Jareth replied. "We would have no way of knowing that. I don't watch the subjects of other kingdoms in my crystals."

"I guess I'm just special then?" Sarah asked sarcastically. The look of surprise on Jareth's face was revealing and Sarah blushed. Oh, how she hated being embarrassed. Sarah's head suddenly snapped up with fire in her eyes. "Anyway, is he right? If his mother didn't finish in the thirteen hours – isn't that because you stopped her? Of course he would be upset about that!"

Jareth shook his head, grimacing. "How little you still understand it all. I oversee the Labyrinth, but I do not control it. When a person is wished away, I bring the wisher to the Labyrinth in accordance with my duty, but the Labyrinth determines how the wisher progresses."

"But wait just a minute!" Sarah began to protest. "What about taking my time away, and the cleaners, and that ballroom - "

Jareth waved his hand and said "Yes, yes, in your case there were some…irregularities…for reasons I don't choose to explain at this time. I admit that I ensured there were a few additional…challenges…for _you_." Jareth could not help the significant look he gave her. _She still didn't know about the protection and the power he had given her all those years ago._ "But the Labyrinth can read the wisher's heart. It can look into that person and ask – does the wisher truly want the child back? Does the wisher try to face the obstacles that are presented by the Labyrinth? If they do, the Labyrinth gives them what they need to reach the end. I tell you this Sarah, a wisher who sincerely desires and cares for the child will succeed. But the Labyrinth, and I as its keeper, must ensure that the wisher deserves to win back the child. And even if I know they will win back the child, it is _my_ job – my _duty_ \- to ensure that the wisher learns something from the experience."

Jareth was grateful that at least this one time Sarah had stayed quiet. He took one more step toward her, bridging the gap between them. She was rubbing her arms as if she was cold, trying to process everything he was saying. It was clear that she didn't know if she could believe him, but she looked up into his face beseechingly, asking him to tell her more.

"So you are saying that I won Toby back because, in my heart, I truly wished for him back?" Sarah asked slowly.

"Yes," Jareth said simply. "Of course you truly wanted him back. You only wished him away out of frustration anyway."

"You mean – you _knew_ that but you still took him?" Sarah cried. "Why did you put me through all of that if you knew that I didn't mean it?"

"Oh, all of what!" Jareth growled. "You mean your great adventure? Everything you had been wishing for?"

Sarah couldn't answer him. It was true – the Labyrinth had been the greatest adventure of her life up until now. Even more than that, her friends from the Underground meant the world to her. She couldn't regret it, even though she still felt a little guilty some nights after she put Toby to bed, standing there in the glow of the night light and stroking the soft strawberry blonde curls on his little toddler head. She felt her anger dissolve, replaced only with confusion – and curiosity.

"I told you Sarah – part of my job is to make sure that the wisher learns something from the experience. Don't you feel like you learned something from the Labyrinth – about your life, about your brother?" He was suddenly gentle, leaning into her again. His gloved hand lightly touched her cheek as he looked into her eyes. "Don't you feel like you learned something about yourself?" he softly finished. He could not help noticing how beautiful she was in the moonlight.

Sarah's heart was beating so quickly she thought he must be able to hear it. She gazed back into his eyes and was surprised by the sincerity she saw there, pleading with her for some understanding. Time seemed to stop in that moment as she considered what he said, her eyes never leaving his.

It was too much at once. Sarah dropped her head and took a step back. With her head lowered, she didn't see the look of disappointment that flitted across Jareth's face as he withdrew his hand. When Sarah looked at him again, his face was as cold as steel, and his expression was totally indifferent to her. He decided to tell her the truth.

"The truth about Hoggle, Sarah, is that his mother didn't even try." Sarah's face registered shock and then sadness as tears formed in her eyes.

"She did not try," Jareth repeated, "but he does not know that. He was too young to fully understand what had happened, as are many of the unwanted children." A fleeting sadness passed over Jareth's face before he hardened it once again. "That is why I believed this 'quest' was foolishness from the start. All Hoggle has to gain from our efforts is pain."

"Why wouldn't you just tell him?" Sarah asked. "Doesn't he deserve to know the truth?"

"Do you really think," Jareth sneered, "that he would believe _me_? I have told you Sarah, I do not lie - but Hoggle has thought the worst of me for so long. And really, do you think it would be better for _him_ to know the truth? That his own mother wished him away and abandoned him?"

Sarah's eyes were full of tears for her friend. "No, you're right. I – I would not want him to have to feel that way."

Jareth couldn't help the deep satisfaction that he felt when Sarah admitted she thought he was right, but just like any other little victory he achieved when it came to Sarah, his satisfaction was mixed with pain and regret at seeing the tears in her eyes once again. Would she always see his cruelty?

"I know – I know how it feels to be abandoned by a mother," Sarah said softly. Jareth kept his face still but winced inside as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"It's not too late to just go back," Jareth said. "Now that you know.."

"But I can't make that choice for Hoggle," Sarah protested. "I can't walk away now, not when I promised to help him." Sarah's head was spinning. "Maybe it's better if he finds out anyway. I wasted a lot of years chasing something that wasn't real, wondering what I had done wrong – what I needed to do to bring my mother back to my life." The words were tumbling from Sarah's lips. "Everything started to get better once I realized it wasn't about me, or what I had done." She looked up at Jareth. "It's not fair, but that's the way it is."

Jareth reached out to console her, but just as he did a huge crash startled them. Shouts and cries rang out in the night – some familiar, some not.

"Oh no, what's happening!?" Sarah cried.


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: YES I'M BACK! I know it has been SO long and most of you have probably given up on this story. I understand - but please come back! I still fully intend to finish this story and I hope I will get a few more chapters up soon. Since I posted the last chapter, I started my own freelance writing and editing business, and I've been working on client orders as much as possible to get my business off the ground. I FINALLY got some free time recently to work on this story, and I can't be happier to bring you this update! Please read and review! :)**

Chapter 35.

Sarah's eyes were filled with hot tears. She struggled to find the words to express what she was feeling. Jareth reached out to console her, but just as he did a huge crash startled them. Shouts and cries rang out in the night – some familiar, some not.

"Oh no, what's happening?" Sarah cried. Heedless of the danger, she immediately ran toward the noise and her friends.

"Sarah!" Jareth shouted. He grabbed at her roughly, catching her arm just as she left the clearing. She started to shriek in protest but he pulled her back tight against him and clamped his hand over her mouth.

"What are you doing?" he seethed in a gritted whisper. He reluctantly removed his hand so she could answer, but he still clung to her arm so she couldn't move.

"What are YOU doing?" she spat back. "Our friends are in trouble! We have to help! Let go!" she exclaimed, squirming.

"Ridiculous child," he growled. "We don't even know what's happening, yet you'd run headlong into the thick of it!" He released her arm, but grabbed her hand instead. "Hold on," he commanded sternly.

Before Sarah had time to respond she felt an electric tingle run down her body. Her mouth made a round "o" of surprise before they disappeared.

When they reappeared, Sarah nearly shrieked again when she saw that they were perched precariously high up in a tree looking down on the campsite. She clamped her lips together to stay silent but scrabbled at Jareth's chest until she felt his firm grip around her waist.

"Sorry about that," Jareth murmured in her ear. He couldn't help a small self-satisfied smirk that he'd caught her off guard and gotten her into his arms. "You don't like heights?"

"Not all of us turn into birds on command, _Jareth_ ," Sarah whispered angrily.

"That may be true, but you're perfectly safe with me up here," he responded. "And this is the best place to see what is going on. It appears we've been invaded," he said, pointing below.

"Oh no!" Sarah cried in dismay as she followed his gaze. Below she could see Sir Didymus, Ambrosius, Hoggle, Ludo, and the other rock callers trapped in nets. They were surrounded by short, stout figures that were heavily-armored and appeared to be well-armed. Even as high above them as she was, Sarah could hear Sir Didymus' cries and yips of protest. Mara and Ludo thrashed and howled but seemed confused and unable to break free of the nets, which were made from thick black ropes.

"Warrior dwarves," Jareth said grimly. "I was concerned we might run into them this close to the Dwarf Kingdom. They come up out of tunnels underground with little warning. Their ropes are unusually strong. The art of weaving them is a dwarven secret."

"Can't we do anything!?" Sarah cried. "We can't just let them be taken as prisoners!"

"Unfortunately, I think it may be our best option," Jareth replied. "Do you see that symbol on their armor?"

Sarah squinted and could just make out a silver bearded figure with a horned helmet emblazoned on the back of the dwarves' armor. "What does it mean?" she asked.

"This is no common raiding warrior dwarf party," Jareth whispered back. "This is a royal armored guard. They are servants of the Dwarf King and Queen."

"What?" Sarah exclaimed. "Why are they taking them prisoner then?"

"I think thanks to our friends the Mystagogs that there has been a misunderstanding," Jareth said darkly. "Selise sent a message out that the Goblin Kingdom was sending out a spy party to conduct espionage before an invasion."

Sarah gasped. "But that means…"

"It means that if they are seen with me it will only reinforce the rumor. And if I attacked them now to rescue your friends it could start a serious political incident between the kingdoms. We have to be careful," Jareth said forcefully. "We will have to follow them and stage a rescue mission."

"But how can we follow them, since you aren't allowed to cross the border into the Dwarf Kingdom?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, I can cross the border," Jareth said. "The Rules of the Underground just say I can't use my magic to do so. In fact," he said, pointing again, "I can see the border just ahead. And they've got a spell in place that detects any magical invaders." He snorted disdainfully. "What a pity."

Sarah peered in the direction Jareth was pointing. " _Wow, his owl eyes can see a lot farther than mine_ ," she thought to herself. She could just barely make out a green glowing line that stretched over the next hilltop and directly across their path forward.

"We can follow them in and head for the palace. Once we are there, I can announce myself and formally request an audience with the King and Queen," Jareth whispered in her ear. "But we'll have to sneak in to get to the palace. And Sarah," Jareth said, hesitating a bit. "I'll have to voluntarily suppress my powers. That means any of the spells I am maintaining…for example, reordering time…will be temporarily suspended until we get to the palace."

Sarah bit her lip. Below she could see the warriors were hauling her friends into a large wagon. Although they looked miserable, they were all cooperating, and none of them appeared to be hurt.

"Isn't there any other way?" Sarah asked in dismay.

"Well, I could take us back to the Goblin Kingdom, summon a messenger, petition the High Council to intervene, blah blah blah…"Jareth said, rolling his eyes. "That could take weeks."

"Weeks!?" Sarah exclaimed. "We can't just leave them as prisoners for weeks!"

"Believe it or not, I agree," Jareth replied. "Besides, I prefer to handle things _without_ involving the High Council whenever possible."

"So we agree?" Sarah asked. "You'll give up your powers until we reach the palace, and we'll rescue them…together?"

"Agreed," Jareth said seriously. His left arm was still wrapped reassuringly around Sarah's waist, but he extended his gloved right hand to her. She shook it solemnly.

"Sarah, we'll work as quickly as we can, but you know this means your family might realize that you're gone…"

"I know," Sarah replied. "I'll just have to deal with that when this is all over." She watched sadly as the warrior dwarves closed the doors on the wagon with her friends inside. Soon they would be over the border. " _What a mess our adventure is turning into_!" she thought.

Jareth raised his eyebrows. "Well then," he said, gesturing below. "Shall we proceed?"

At the beautiful old white Victorian on the corner, sunlight was just starting to peek into the windows of Robert and Karen's bedroom. Karen stirred reluctantly, trying to keep her eyes shut for just a few more minutes. Toby wasn't stirring yet - in his little room down the hall, he was still sleeping peacefully, one arm curled around Lancelot. With Robert snoring gently beside her and her toddler son still dreaming on a Saturday morning, Karen had every reason to snuggle in to the soft white sheets to steal a few extra precious moments of sleep. But something nagged at her. She slipped out of the bed quietly, pulling on a plush pink robe and slippers to guard against the morning chill. She peeked in on Toby to confirm he was still sleeping soundly, then started to head downstairs to make coffee. Suddenly she turned around. That nagging feeling was still there in her mind.

Karen crept back up the stairs and tiptoed past Toby's room to the end of the hallway where Sarah, who treasured her privacy like most teenagers, kept her door shut while she slept. Karen hesitated just a moment before gently opening the door just a crack.

 _"I won't wake her,"_ Karen thought. _"I'll just make sure she's okay."_

Karen slowly opened the door just enough to look inside, then gasped.

The bed was neatly made with no sign of having been slept in the previous night. Nothing seemed amiss in the room except a pencil box slightly askew on the vanity table. Sarah was gone.


End file.
